Convergent
by Wallflower95
Summary: Before Tris, before Four, before Natalie Prior there was Natalie Wright. A young girl from a failed experiment in the broken town of Milwaukee. Natalie runs from her past and finds a sanctuary with people responsible for experimentation in cities. Can Natalie trust these people? Or will she end up as a failed experiment?
1. A Broken World

**Hey everyone! this is my second fanfic story ever. I recently finished reading the Divergent series. I love the series and the ending was so so sad:( one thing i thought veronica roth could have gotten into more was the story of Natalie Wright (Tris and Caleb's mom) so here is her story and how she came to be Natalie Prior. I hope you guys enjoy and please let me know what you guys think. Comments and feedback are appreciated!:) happy reading!**

**-Wallflower95**

**P.s If you like The Fault in our Stars by John Green please take a look at my other fanfic about tfios called 'Their Little Infinity'. **

* * *

**1**

**A Broken World**

Times are difficult. It was dangerous to be in a place like Milwaukee. Especially at this exact time. People are poor and starving. Fighting or killing each other for any piece of food they can get their hands on. My family was no better than the rest. We were barely surviving on what we had. But what made life worse was the constant fighting in the world. Fighting to live, fighting among ourselves, there no humanity left in people. We've become desperate and feral monsters. Even my family has succumbed to these terrible acts.

I remember when my parents used to look at each other when I was younger. Before my younger siblings were born. The way the looked at each other... young and in love. They used to care for each other. Love each other. Time has changed them. Things are different now. Every night my father comes home, drunk and angry. The only way he can't express his anger is by abusing us. Beating us. He was no longer the caring father I knew and my mother was not the same either. Not that night.

My name is Natalie Wright. I am fourteen years old and I am living in a damaged world. A broken world. There is no mending it. I look around at the world I live and I just know it could be so much better than what it is now. The people could be so much better. Everyone is selfish and cruel. My family included. There was nothing left in this world. Nothing at all. I had often wondered why everyone chose to live like this. Everyone has a purpose in this world. They just have to find it.

My father's purpose in the world was to come home drunk every night and beat everyone senseless. It had become a routine. When we heard the front door screech open and the drunken footsteps walking on the floorboards it was our signal to hide. Hide from the pain and suffering. It has gone on for many years. There had been a time when we were happy. A time when my father didn't come home drunk and cruel. A time when he actually loved us. Since then everything has changed. People losing jobs. Food becoming scarce and money running low. These were truly desperate times.

Everything had changed that one night. That one night.

"Cut some of the vegetables Natalie." My mother, Alaya said. I took a knife and started chopping slowly. My younger brother and sister, Cara and Mattius played with their toys on the kitchen table. My mother looked tired. She had been quite beautiful at one point. With soft light brown hair, striking gray eyes. Over the years she has gotten streaks of grey in her hair. There were dark shades of bruising on her jaw. She move with such ease and grace around the kitchen.

I do not hate my father. I wish he would stop these cruel actions. That's all I've ever wanted. For us to be a family. There were footsteps on our front porch. We all froze. Cara looked at me with wide eyes.

"Go too your room. Now!" My mother hissed. Cara and Mattius tiptoed towards me and we went to our room. I looked at my little brother and sister huddled next to the bed. Cara is ten and Mattius is eight. They both look like my mother. Small frame and light brown hair and grey eyes. I have dark brown hair and pale green eyes, like my father. We all sat on the ground in silence.

I had grown used to these night. Nights of screams and pain. It had become my every waking hour. My nightmare. The walls were quite thin in our home so you could hear everything going on in the other room.

"Where they woman?"

"I have no idea Zane." The sound of someone getting slapped echoed in the house. I flinched. I wanted to do something. To help her. To save her.

"Where the hell are they?!" He yelled. My face suddenly grew hot with anger. I cannot possibly live like this anymore. My mother was deadly silent in the other room. It was scaring me.

"I will not do this anymore." My mother said in a serious tone. Something had changed. Her tone sounded, defiant. Brave. My heart was pounding in my chest.

"What- what are you doing?" My father asked. I my breathing became fast. I had see what was happening.

"Stay here." I whispered to Mattius and Cara.

"Natalie!" Cara hissed. But I ignored her. I crept outside and around the corner to see what was happening behind that wall. The sight shocked me. Froze me in place.

My father was struggling to stand. He had one hand clutching a chair, quite drunk. But my mother was the one who froze me in my spot. She stood before my father. Tall, brave and defiant like her tone. She had a gun clutched in her hands, pointing it right at my father. She wasn't shaking at all. She glared at my father so hard I thought he would evaporate with the look she was giving him.

"What are you doing?" He asked in a slurred voice.

"Something I should have done a long time ago." There was a gunshot. No scream came out of me. I stared at the body of my father as he dropped to the ground, lifeless. Blood was splattered on the wall behind him. It was so silent. My mother just stared at his body. Absolutely no remorse.

* * *

I couldn't scream. I couldn't cry. All I could do was stare in shock at the woman I called my mother. Alaya Wright. The gentle, quiet and graceful Alaya Wright. My mother. A murderer. A killer. No sound came from me. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. All I could do was stare at the lifeless body of my father. His eyes still wide open in shock. His last thought was of my mother, killing him.

I moved. I screamed. I didn't know what to feel. Sad? Happy? He had been a monster in many ways but he had also been my father. My mother just looked at me. Her eyes dark and empty. I had stopped screaming by then. She just looked at me. She dropped the gun on the ground and stepped over my father's body. I wanted to be sick.

My mother leaned towards me.

"It had to be done Natalie." She whispered into my ear. I couldn't say anything. At that very moment, I was terrified. Terrified of my mother. Of what she did to survive in this world. It made me sick. I didn't say anything. I saw our front door. I ran towards it, wrenched it open and ran. I ran and I never looked back.

* * *

**And there you go! The very first chapter to Natalie's story. Comment and review. What did you think? Worth continuing? Let me know. Sorry it wasn't a long chapter. I'm still trying to get all of Natalie's backstory. Hope you guys like this! I would love to continue on to chapter 2 and your feedback would really help me. **

**Thanks!**

**~Wallflower95**


	2. A Way Out

**Hey everyone! Hope you liked chapter 1 enough for me to continue this story. Sorry it took me so long to update. I recently got back from the Provincial swim championships in Kamloops, BC. Anyway, yea sorry for the long wait. Thanks so much for waiting patiently. You guys are the best!:)**

**~Wallflower95**

* * *

**2**

**A Way Out**

_She shot him. She shot him. He's dead. He's gone. Dead. Dead. Gone. _

I had run so far. I stopped and put my hands on my knees, gasping for breath. _Dead. Shot. Dead._ All these words were bouncing around in my head giving me a migraine. I just ran. I ran away. I couldn't believe it. I ran and I kept running. I didn't know where I was going all I knew was that I had to get away. I kept moving until my legs collapsed beneath and I just laid there on the ground breathing hard. My chest rising and falling with every painful breath. I stared at the vast, dark sky. Stars twinkling in the distance. It was so quiet. So peaceful. You wouldn't think anything bad had happened this night.

I was drained of all energy. I couldn't even move my arms. I just stayed there. I remembered a time, a time before my father's worst deeds. He had me on his lap on our front doorstep in the middle of the night. I had been eight years old. He pointed to the sky.

_"You see those Nat?" I had nodded._

_"Those are called stars. If you are ever get lost those stars will take you where you want to go."_

_"Anywhere I want?" I had asked. He nodded._

_"Anywhere."_

But my father was no more. No more. I closed my eyes. A lone tear trickled down the side of my face. And I just laid there. In the middle of nowhere under a sky full of stars.

* * *

I could feel the sun glaring down on me. I could also feel the presence of another person. I heard the person stumble and kneel down towards me. I sat up fast and knocked whatever they were trying to give me out of their hand. I tried to bolt but the person had a strong grip on my arm.

"Not going anywhere girl." The person grumbled. I looked at the person. It was a man who looked to be in his 50's or so. He wore dirty brown clothes and he wore a hat that covered his almost grey hair. He was surprisingly strong. I tried to wrench my arm out of his grip but he did not budge. He held a flask in his hand.

"Well? Do you want the water or not?" I stared at him hard.

"Or I can let you die of dehydration." He said. I grabbed the flask and chugged the water. He let go of my arm. I handed him the flask without saying a word. He took it and placed it back in his bag.

"What the hell happened to you kid?" I didn't answer.

"Not the talking type huh?" No answer. He shrugged his shoulders. He took my wrists in his strong grip and tied them up with some rope. I didn't even struggle. I was done fighting. He grabbed my chin and turned my face side to side.

"They might pay handsomely for you." He mumbled. He stood up and yanked on the rope. I stood up and followed the man without a fight.

* * *

The man led me to town that looked almost like Milwaukee. Impoverished, derelict, broken. All these thoughts ran inside my head.

"Welcome to the Fringe." The man said. I just stared at everything and everyone. Dirty children running around stealing things. A man arguing with another man. A body lying in an alley way. I realize now that I never left home. I never ran away. All the misery would follow me wherever I went. The man yanked on the rope again and I almost fell forwards. He pulled me into a grey and old looking building. Inside the room was a desk with a fat, awful looking man sitting behind it. I did not like the way he stared at me. As if he was hungry.

"Got something for you Ian." He pulled me forwards. Ian stood up. He looked worse up close. And the smell was indescribable. His belly poured over his waist. I was surprised he could stand. His breathed smelled of rotting fish. His teeth were yellow and dead looking and he wore clothes with stains that looked an awful lot like blood. He was almost bald with grey fleck in what remained of his hair. He looked me up and down.

"My my my Jedd. You've caught a fine looking prize." Ian circled around me. I tried hard not to shake. My heart was pounding in my chest. Ian's disgusting hand traced down the side of my neck. I flinched. He smiled. He stood in front of me and placed his filthy hands on my hips. My reflexes kicked in and then next thing I knew he was clutching his knee, swearing.

"You bitch." He hissed. Ian stood up and slapped me hard across the cheek. Stars appeared in my vision, my ears ringing. Jedd laughed under his breath.

"Seems like this one can handle herself." My cheek stung. Ian snorted.

"She won't be able to do that when I'm done with her." He growled. I stared down at my shoes in horror._ What have I gotten myself into?_

"How much for her?" Ian grumbled. Jedd thought about it.

"Eight hundred." Ian took the payment out of his pocket and slapped it into Jedd's hand.

"Pleasure doing business." Jedd said with a tip of his hat. Ian steered me towards the back room. Before he took me away I saw Jedd stop in his tracks on his way out. He looked back at me. His eyes had regret in them.

* * *

I never escaped. I managed to find a place worse than home. Hell. It was hell. Ian had locked me in a dark and cold room for then night. I had been chained to the wall. I was trapped. Locked away from the world. I had spent the night alone in that room. I had been sold and I had a pretty good idea as to Ian had planned. Sometime in the morning, I heard the door creek open. My eyes snapped open.

Ian stood before me wearing nothing but his underclothes. I swallowed down the scream I felt rising in my throat. He didn't say anything. He grabbed my hands and forced them above my head. I couldn't struggle. I wanted to scream but no sound came from me. He sat on top of me making the bed creak under our weight. He ripped off my shirt and felt my chest. I couldn't scream. All I could do was cry. Cry for girls like me who had to suffer like this. He ripped off his pants. I tried struggling but it was no use. Without a word, he slowly took off my pants. Tears ran down my face.

It lasted for hours. I fell in and out of consciousness. When I woke again, he was gone. My clothes were ripped. My chest exposed. I tried to cover up but I felt used. I felt broken. There was no escape. I was trapped.

* * *

It was only a few weeks later that I got my chance. By then I had given up. I was property of someone. I was used every day by a sadistic man. I was owned by him and the worst part was there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. All hope was lost. There was no escape. I was chained to this life. But on that very day, hope decided to return. I heard a sound come from the grate high above my head. The only opening to the outside world. There was nothing and no one. I looked at the ground and saw it. A sharp object next to my foot.

A way out. Could it be? I picked up the object. Perfect for picking a lock. I looked at the lock attached to the chains that bound me. A way out. It took me a few minutes before I finally picked the lock. I rubbed my bruised wrists. Free. There was a new feeling at the pit of my stomach. Not the broken feeling. A feeling of hope and freedom. I heard the lock being undone on the other side of the door. I took a deep breath, hid the object in my sleeve and hid my hands along with the chain behind my back.

_Be brave Natalie._

Ian stepped inside, glaring at me. His look sent shivers down my spine but I remained calm. He walked forwards and shoved me down onto the bed. Before he set himself on top of me I kicked upwards. I moved fast. Faster than I thought I could. I kicked him in the face. I heard him cry out. I tried running forwards but Ian had gotten a hold of my hair and started pulling me back.

"No!" I screamed. I pulled the sharp object out from my sleeve and I stabbed his hand. He released his grip on my hair and started screaming in pain. And I ran. I ran out the door. I ran outside. I ran away from his screams. I reached the street and I looked side to side. I had no idea where I was.

"There you are." A voice came from the shadows. A man stepped into the light. It was Jedd.

"Didn't think you'd make it out alive." I just stared at him. I could still hear Ian's screams coming from the building. It sounded like he was coming up from my cell.

"Well we better get a move on unless you want to be back with Ian." I didn't reply. Jedd turned and walked down an alley way and I followed him.

* * *

**That's all for now. Please comment and let me know what you think. Stayed tuned for chapter 3!**

**~Wallflower95**


	3. Freedom

**Hello everyone! Hope you all liked the last chapter. It was definitely a different kind of writing style for me I felt that it worked into Natalie's story perfectly. Sorry this update took some time. I've been pretty busy with work. So if you are reading this story please please please tell everyone about it. I'd love to get more comments and feedback. And if you are a fan of The Fault in Our Stars please take a look at my story Their Little Infinity! Catch up before it ends!**

**Again tell everyone about this story guys. I would really appreciate it:) Hoping to update soon.**

**~Wallflower95**

* * *

**3**

**Freedom**

I didn't know where I was or where I was going. All I knew was that I was free. Free of that monster. I stumbled in Jedd's shadow. I followed his twist and turns until my head started to spin. When I was about to ask for a break Jedd put his hand up to stop me. I stumbled to a stop and tried to slow down my breathing. I clutched and the sheet around me. My clothes underneath were torn and dirty. My hair felt like it was standing up everywhere and my face was probably caked with dirt.

Jedd opened a door, a door I didn't even notice to the building in front of us. He pulled me in and closed the door behind him. It was dark. I heard a match being struck and light appeared. It wasn't much. A dirty mattress covered with blankets was tucked away in a corner. A rickety, unstable looking chair with a small wooden table in the other corner. Behind a wall was a bathroom and in the last corner was a broken bookshelf filled with worn looking books.

"Home sweet home." Jedd grumbled. I stood there looking around at the practically empty room.

"Well, do you talk?" I didn't reply.

"Great. A mute." Jedd grumbled.

"I am not a mute." I snapped.

"It speaks! And it has some attitude problems."

"It has a name." I glared at Jedd. He smirked. Jedd sat down in the chair. It looked like it would snap under his weight.

"Who are you?" I shuffled my feet. Jedd was waiting for my answer.

"My name is Natalie Wright." I answered. Jedd nodded.

"I ran away from home." I said.

"And where is home?" He asked.

"Milwaukee." He smirked again.

"And how are things there?" I flinched.

"Bad. Really bad." Jedd laughed.

"Can't be as bad as the Fringe Sweetheart." I didn't reply though. I shivered and wrapped what was left of my clothing around me. Jedd tossed me old looking blanket.

"Take the bed. I'll sleep on the chair." And he sat on the chair, closed his eyes and didn't say another word. I didn't know what to do. I was in a stange place with a complete stranger in the middle of nowhere. I wrapped the blanket around myself and I sat there staring into the darkness. A candle flickered in the draft coming from an open window.

All I could think about was was Cara and Mattius. I left them there. With her. I left them behind. I tried to think how long I've been away. It feel like forever since I last saw them. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine their faces. Cara's wide open eyes, her pleading voice. Mattius clutching at Cara arm and my mother... my mother with a gun in her hand. I opened my eyes. A lone tear trailed down my cheek.

* * *

Sun was streaming in, blinding me. I looked at the chair. Jedd had disappeared. I shoved my feet into my boots and tiptoed to the door. Jedd rescued me for a reason. Probably to use me like Ian did. I tried the door. It was locked. My throat went dry an my heart started pounding in my ears. I twisted the knob. An arm snaked around me and pinned my arms by my side. A hand clapped down on my mouth, preventing me from screaming. I struggled.

"Be quiet." I elbowed him in the stomach. Jedd gasped for breath and released his grip on me. I fell forwards. Jedd was clutching his stomach.

"What do you want with me?" Jedd stood up straight.

"Relax kid. I'm not gonna hurt ya." I laughed.

"Am I really supposed to believe you?"

"Well yes." He tried to walked forwards but I backed away.

"Stay away from me." I said. Jedd shrugged his shoulders. He turned around and grabbed a pile of clothes from the ground.

"Here." He handed them to me. They were female clothes. Close to my size. Jedd walked away.

_Do I trust him? _

I put the clean clothes on and sat on the bed. Jedd returned with some bread and a glass of water. He handed them to me without a word. While I nibbled on the bread, Jedd sat on the chair across from me. When I finished I stared back at him.

"What?"

"Why did you run away?" He asked. I flinched.

"No of your damn business." I snapped. Jedd smirked.

"Touchy subject?" I didn't reply.

"Alright then..." He trailed off.

"What to do with you?" I swallowed nervously.

"Are you going to kill me?" I whispered. Jedd laughed.

"No." He said.

"Then what?"

"Well... I was thinking of taking you in." He said.

"Wh-"

"As an apprentice." I was in shock. The man who sold me to a cruel man not too long ago was now taking me in as his apprentice.

"Apprentice for what?"

"Sales of course! Only job you can get in the Fringe." He stood up and circled me.

"Only problem is you're a female."

"And what can I do about that exactly?" I snapped.

"People here... they aren't to kind to girls like you." Jedd said.

"You don't say..." Jedd stared at my tangled brown hair.

"What?"

"I think I know how to make you my apprentice without getting you killed."

* * *

I stared at my reflection at the broken shard of a mirror Jedd had given me. My hair was choppy and short like a boy's. My bangs were choppy as well. I frowned at my reflection.

"I look like a boy." I groaned.

"Well, that is the point." Jedd said.

I looked at my reflection one last time. A new life. A new identity.

* * *

**And there you have it. Remember to share this story and check out my Fault in Our Stars story 'Their Little Infinity'! Thanks guys and please commet:)**

**~Wallflower95**


	4. Hiding in Plain Sight

**Hi guys! Sorry this chapter is so late. It'd been a busy time for me. Again please comment, like and favorite this story. All your support means the world to me! If you have friends who enjoy reading fanfic and are also fans of the Divergent series please please please tell them about Convergent! Thanks you guys and enjoy this chapter:)**

**~Wallflower95**

**p.s anyone here an x-men fan? check out my new story! It's called The Phoenix: Origin Story. All about Jean Grey. If you're interested please take a look. I would absolutely love the feedback!:)**

* * *

**4**

**Hiding In Plain Sight**

It was a very different world walking as a man. No one gave you disapproving looks. No one looked down at you. No one judged you. You were free to do whatever you wanted. So different from the life I left behind and yet so unfamiliar.

"Hurry up girl." Jedd growled under his breath. I pushed the cart full of useless items faster, nearly running Jedd over.

"Sorry." I said, keeping my head down and eyes on the ground. We stayed in the southern part of town. Far from where Ian was. My heart pounded in my chest every time I saw a larger man round the corner. Every day I would follow Jedd into town to help him with his sales. He did all the talking and I just did the heavy lifting. An odd job for a young girl but then, I'm not supposed to be a girl am I?

I kept still and silent with my hands jammed in my pockets as Jedd sweet talked his customers. I only awoke from my stupor when I heard and interesting conversation between Jedd and woman. She had dark skin which fascinated me. Her eyes were a light brown. Her dark hair piled in a messy bun on top of hear head. She wore raggedy clothes like everyone else.

"Milwaukee ain't doing too good Jedd." The woman whispered. I leaned back a little to hear. Jedd didn't seem to notice my movement.

"How bad?" He asked.

"Them glasses people went through and started shooting people dead." I held my breath in, trying to keep my hands from shaking. Gunned down? They were talking about people from Milwaukee. My old home.

"Any survivors?" Jedd asked. The woman shook her head morosely.

"Doubtful. It was a slaughter Jedd." Jedd nodded.

"Thanks Margie. Let me know if anything else comes up outside the fringe." Margie nodded, turned on her heel and walked away. I looked down at my feet when Jedd turned to me but he didn't say anything. We continued through town sell the crap. By the time we returned to our little home I was exhausted. Jedd cracked open two cans of beans and we both sat on the floor eating.

"Listen kid..."

"I heard your conversation with Margie."

I said. Jedd didn't seem surprised or angry.

"Why?" I asked.

"I'm trying to figure that out." Jedd said.

"And who are the glasses?" I asked. Jedd sighed and placed his can of beans on the ground in front of him.

"That's what we called them. They come in completely silent and the leave death in their wake. They don't talk. They don't make a sound. The just point and shoot."

"Are they human?"

"They are yes but they have no remorse or a conscience. They kill for no reason."

"But why?" Jedd shrugged his shoulders."

"We don't know. They seem to target towns that are... dying." I nodded. I lived in Milwaukee. It was definitely dying. I thought of my mom and Cara and Matteo. They're most likely dead. Tears blurred my vision. I wiped at them furiously.

"Did you have family there?" I sniffed.

"It doesn't matter anymore. They're gone." I continued to eat my beans in silence.

* * *

Jedd had given me the afternoon off from selling. He probably thought I needed some time to myself and maybe he was right. Even though I had my differences with my family I had still loved them. I had still cared for them.

_Cared for them enough to just leave them there to die?_ A horrible voice whispered in my mind. I closed my eyes shut and rubbed my temples. The voice was right. If I had loved them I would have gone back for them. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and kept walking through town, keeping my head down. I walked passed an alleyway when I heard the sound of struggling. I stopped and looked down the alley. The sight sent shivers down my spine.

A boy, about fifteen or old was attacking another boy who looked about eleven. It wasn't fair at all. The older boy was as big as Ian. Brutal looking. The younger one had no chance. I looked around. No one seemed to notice the young boy struggling to stay alive. The older boy shoved the young one down on all fours and he pulled out a gun and held it to the boy's head. I couldn't stop myself.

"Hey!" I shouted. I jogged towards the boys. The young was really beaten up. He had cuts along both arms. One side of his face was swollen and bruised. He was spitting blood on the ground. He looked up at me desperately but I stared at the older boy.

"Put that down." I said steadily. The older boy clicked the gun. The younger one flinched.

"Or what?" The older one snapped.

"Leave him alone." The older boy laughed and took his foot off the young one's back. I thought he was backing off. I thought wrong. The older boy slapped me hard across the face with the back of his hand. I fell against the wall clutching my face. It burned where he hit me. The boy laughed a little harder and stared at my chest.

"Looks like we have a little bitch here to save the day." I glared at him. Putting both hand at my sides. Something was burning inside of me. A new feeling. It felt like fire in my stomach. I stood up straight and faced the boy. the younger was struggling to stand up but it looked like there was something wrong with his leg.

"If you don't want to be treated like a bitch then I suggest you walk away." The older boy said.

"I won't be walking away." I said, confidence in my voice. The boy laughed.

"You'll regret it." He muttered and then he swung his arm. I was ready for it. I ducked and his fist slammed against the brick wall. When he pulled it back it was badly bruised and cut. He smiled.

"You'll pay for that you bitch." He lunged towards me and threw me to the ground. I struggled. I kicked and I screamed. I scratched and clawed at his face. With one hand he manged to hold both of my arms down while he punched at me. My head felt like it would spin all the way around. I threw my legs upward and wrapped them around his neck. I punched him in the stomach and he rolled off of me. I kicked out and managed to get him right in the face. He yelled out. I crawled away from him and noticed a shiny object on the ground. The gun.

I crawled toward it but something yanked me backwards. I screamed. He managed to pin me down again.

"I'm not sure you're a girl. Maybe we should check." The boy hissed. I felt him reaching under my shirt. I distinctly remember Ian doing the same to me. Using my body as entertainment for himself.

"No!" I screamed. I freed and arm and punched him in the mouth. He fell sideways and ran for the gun. I've never used a gun before but I know what people use them for. One reason and one reason only. When I turned the boy was running towards me with them same look that Ian had on his face when I ran away. It was the same expression my mother had on her face when she killed my father. I didn't stop. I didn't think.

I just pulled the trigger.

* * *

**Stay tuned for the next chapter!:) and remember to check out my new story The Phoenix: Origin Story. Thanks guys!**

**~Wallflower95**


	5. Crimes

**Hello everybody! :) I'm really sorry this chapter has taken some time. I was so busy trying to finish 'Their Little Infinity' (which is btw completed!:D) so yea i'm taking a break before I begin with TLI's sequel Anna's Infinity and I'm focusing on my three other fanfics. So hope you like this chapter. Please review and comment! All your feedback means the world to me.**

**Thanks guys!:)**

**~Wallflower95**

* * *

**5**

**Crimes**

I saw my hands. They were bloodied and bruised. I saw that boy. Dead. I shut my eyes and opened them again. Hoping this was all just a dreams. It wasn't. I was breathing. My heart was pounding in my ears. All I could see was the dead boy's eyes staring back at me. Wide open in shock as his murderer shot him.

"Shit." The boy I saved stood up and clutched his side. Earlier I thought he looked quite young. Maybe eleven but when he stood up in the light he looked more my age. Just small and wiry.

"You killed him." He muttered. I nodded silently. I killed him. Just like my mom killed my dad. I felt like throwing up but I held it down. I could not look week.

"Forget him. Are you okay?" One side of the boy's face was completely swollen. His eyes was closed shut. There were cuts and bruises. Probably some broken ribs but nothing life threatening.

"I'll be fine." The boy muttered.

"Are you okay?" The boy asked. I swallowed the lump in my throat. I could feel the bile burning in my stomach.

"Yeah. I'm good." I said. I turned on my heel and started walking away.

"Wait!" The boy called. He jogged towards me. Wincing at the movement.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"I have to go." I said. The boy grabbed my arm. Not roughly, gently.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, putting his arm by his side.

"What's your name?" He repeated. I hesitated. He could use it against me. I could end up dead. I remembered Jedd's words.

_Keep your head down and your mouth shut and nobody will bother you._

"Natalie." I whispered.

"My name is Natalie." I said. The boy nodded.

"I'm Andrew." He said, holding out his hand. I shook it.

"Thank you for saving my life." I nodded. I turned and walked away. Leaving Andrew in that alley.

* * *

"And just where in the hell have you been?" I heard as I walked in the door. But I avoided Jedd's lecture as headed straight for the toilet and started throwing up everything in my stomach. I was there for about fifteen minutes before it finally stopped. Jedd was sitting on that damn rickety old chair when I came out. I sat on the bed with my head in between my legs.

"What happened?" He asked gruffly. I breathed out.

"I shot and killed someone." There was no yelling. No lecture. Jedd says things like that happen in the Fringe all the time. It's their way of life but it's no life for me. Tears fell onto the ground. I could feel my breaths shaking in my chest. Jedd sat down beside me.

"When I was about your age... my daddy got killed." I looked up a little bit. Jedd was looking forwards.

"He was just trying to get some food for me and my family. I had three baby sisters. My older brother, Nate was helping my dad raid a store. Just to keep us breathing you know? I had asked Nate and dad if they'd let me go with them. I was only six. I just wanted to help keep my family safe. Things didn't go well. Nate and my dad were shot by the store owner. Both dead. Me, my mom and my sister were all sold into slavery. Got separated. I ended up her in this god damn shit hole. To this day I don't even know if my mom and sister are alive or not."

I stared at the ground. Thinking it all over.

"What I'm trying to say girl is that the world is a shitty place. Nothing good ever happens. You just have to take it and keep charging through." I nodded.

"Shit now I'm going soft." Jedd laughed.

"Well. Nothing better than dying alone." He said.

"Well we can always die together Jedd." I said. Jedd poured some alcohol into two glasses and he tapped his glass against mine.

"To dying free men." Jedd said.

"To this god damn shit hole." I said. We chugged our drinks

* * *

My bond with Jedd grew over the months. We soon joked around and had our laughs. It was starting to feel... real again. It felt like home. Jedd was like a father to me. Although if I ever said that two him he'd probably throw up chunks at hearing the words.

It was another day of delivery when we noticed everything. Shops closing down. Jedd ran to a shop owner.

"Hey! Hey Dean! What's going on?" I had caught up and stood at Jedd's side.

"Business ain't doing to well Jedd. You know that."

"Come on Dean. Business hasn't done well for years. What's really going on?" Dean looked nervous but leaned forwards anyway.

"Trader coming say they seen some odd looking people travelling through towns. Same people that took Milwaukee."

"And your point?" Dean looked around took make sure nobody else was listening.

"People saying them glasses people gonna come for the Fringe next." Fear was in Dean's eyes.

"They can't take down the Fringe." Jedd laughed.

"I'm not gonna take my chances Jedd." Dean said.

"So what you're to pick everything up and leave town?"

"If that's what it takes to survive then hell yes." Dean said as he picked up his pack.

"And I suggest you do the same." Dean walked away.

"Shit." Jedd muttered. I looked at Jedd.

"Stay here." He muttered. Jedd walked across the street to another store. It wasn't just Dean's store that was closing down. Several others down the road were closed as well. There was the sound of shattered glass. Two men broke into a store farther down. They were stealing. I ran down the street.

"Hey! Stop!" I called. But they ignored me. They ran with items in their arms._ You can't save everyone Natalie._

I walked back to where Jedd was. In the distance I heard a few screams and gunshots. Jedd was shaking his head. He took my arm and lead me away.

"They world is going to hell." He muttered.

"What's happening?" I asked.

"Them glasses people."

"Who are the glasses people?" I asked. But Jedd ignored my words. He didn't speak until we were back home.

"Glasses people are murderers and criminals." Jedd said.

"There have been rumors for the past few months that they've taken the stakes a little higher. At first they would just go through towns and take some people away. Since you got here they've been going through towns and burning them to the ground. They took your home town. Killed everyone there. Two months ago they slaughtered everyone in Atlanta and Mississippi. Now people are saying they're coming for the Fringe next."

"Then we should go Jedd." I said. Jedd was shaking his head.

"No. I ain't leaving."

"Jedd please. They going to kill everyone." I said.

"I said I'm not going." He said. I sat there quietly.

"Why would they come here?" I asked. Jedd shrugged his shoulders.

"Beats me. Why would they take down Milwaukee, Atlanta and Mississippi?" I shrugged my shoulders. Jedd put his finger against his head.

"Think girl. What do all these places have in common." I thought about it.

"They all have corrupt people." I said. Jedd smiled.

"Exactly. Crimes, deaths, people stealing. Everyone is corrupt in these times. I think these glasses people are trying to get rid of all us bad people until we're wiped from existence."

"But why?" I asked.

"No fucking idea kid." Jedd laid down on the ground and within seconds he was fast asleep. But I couldn't fall asleep. Why we these people take down and bunch of random towns? It didn't make sense.

* * *

I thought it was a bad dream. Screams, cries, gunshots. All those sounds pierced my ears. I just wanted to cover my ears and go back to a peaceful sleep. But I was being shaken awake.

"Natalie!" I woke to see Jedd in front of me.

"All hell is breaking loose. We need to get out of here. Now!" Jedd kicked open the door and dragged me behind him. Everything was still fuzzy from sleep but when we were on the street everything became clear. There was fire everywhere. Building were on fire. Men, women and children were running around screaming and marching down the street were four straight lines of men wearing all black with black sunglasses hiding their eyes from the world.

"God damn shit." Jedd muttered.

* * *

**Hope you like that. I know it wasn't terribly long:( sorry about that. you guys are gonna love the next chapter though! Oh and does anyone want to take a guess as to who that boy was? The boy Natalie saved? ;) go on! Guess!:)**

**Comment and review! Thank you muchly,**

**~Wallflower95**


	6. A World on Fire

**Hey guys! Hope there was enough action for you in the last chapter. Ready for some more?:) please comment and review the chapter! Thanks guys:) oh and have you guys guessed who that boy that Natalie saved was yet? ;)**

**Happy reading!**

**~Wallflower95**

* * *

**6**

**A World on Fire**

It was complete chaos. The men with the sunglasses marched down the street. There were a few people standing of their formation using these devices that shined a light on the citizens of the Fringe. When they shook their heads the people would die.

"What are they doing?" I asked, pointing to another man with a device. Jedd pushed me back behind a wall.

"I don't know." Another man in sunglasses shot a woman. I flinched.

"But I don't want to find out." Jedd said. He pulled me away from the street and he led me through several alley ways. Every time we came to a street we saw more chaos. There was no way out.

"Jedd." I whispered.

"Get down." Two men in sunglasses marched past the alley we were in. I held my breath. They walked away. Jedd let out his breath as did I.

"There's no way out Jedd. What do we do?" I asked.

"I'm working on it." Jedd hissed. More gunshots echoed down the alley way. I saw something out of the corner of my eye. A man. Wearing black clothing and sunglasses.

"Jedd!" I screamed. He threw me to the ground and he pulled out a gun. He shot once and that's all it took to take that man down. Jedd looked at me on the ground. I was staring at him in shock.

"What? You think I'm going to come out here unprotected?" I kept my mouth shut. I've already seen too much. Jedd pulled me to my feet.

"Let's get out of here princess." I nodded. He held my hand tight and led me away. We managed to navigate our way through town without running into anyone. It was tough work. Every sound made us jump. We still heard echoing screams and gunshots coming from the middle of town. I stayed close to Jedd, knowing that I'm safest with him.

"Don't worry kid. We're almost out of here." We came to an empty street. Jedd looked at me.

"We just have to leave town by that street and we're home free." I nodded.

"Okay." I whispered. Jedd nodded. He looked up and down the street, making sure no one was there. Jedd pulled me forwards.

"Almost there." He muttered. Someone came out of the shadows. I gasped. Jedd had his gun out and ready and Ian moved forwards with an ugly grin on his face.

"Well well well... look who we have here." Fear dropped in the pit of my stomach like a rock. I stared at Ian with wide eyes. Jedd gently pushed me behind him. His gun ready in his hands.

"Stand back you son of a bitch." Ian still had that ugly grin on his face.

"You took my bitch away from me." He said coldly. Jedd pointed the gun at Ian's head.

"She didn't deserve any of that." Juedd growled. Ian laughed.

"You sold her to me." He said.

"That was a mistake. A mistake I will never make again." Jedd said.

"Let's face it Jedd. All you are good for is making mistakes. That's your life's work." Ian had stepped forward. Jedd shoved the gun in his face.

"Get back or I'll blow your head off." Jedd growled. Ian smirked.

"You don't have the guts." Jedd's arm was shaking a little. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. What Ian did next scared the both of us. Ian raised his voice and started yelling at the top of his lungs.

"PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO ESCAPE! OVER HERE! PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO ESCAPE!" Jedd and I were in shock.

"Come on!" Jedd grabbed my hand and we ran. Ian was still yelling. We were almost at the end of the street when I was tackled to the ground. I screamed as Jedd's hand was yanked from my grip. There was a gunshot and Ian's calls were silenced.

"Let me go!" I screamed. A man in black clothing and sunglasses walked towards me with a device in his hand. I struggled against the arms holding me. I saw Jedd being pinned down by four men. The man with the device stood before me. The device started to glow.

"No!" I kicked out and the device went flying into the air. Another kick and the man ended up on the ground holding his nose. I threw one guy holding me over my back and I elbowed the other in the stomach. I helped take two guys of Jedd and and he handled the other two.

"Remind me never to piss you off." Jedd said, breathless. I nodded with a small smile on my face. We were ready to run down the street, away from this place when there was a gunshot. Jedd went down yelling in pain. He had a grip on his leg. One man stood a few feet from us. He was wearing black clothing but no sunglasses. He looked young. Twenties at least with dark brown hair and almost black eyes. His expression showed no remorse. I tried to move Jedd but I couldn't carry his wait. He tried pushing me away.

"Get out of here Natalie." He winced.

"No." I said.

"Get out of here." He growled.

"I am not leaving you." I took the gun from Jedd's hand and pointed it at the man coming towards us.

"That's close enough." I called out. The man held up his hands.

"I cannot let you leave this place." The man said.

"You can't stop us." I said. The man smiled.

"You won't make it out alive." He said.

"Why are you killing everyone?" I asked.

"For science." The man said. I suppressed the anger that was bubbling at the pit of my stomach. The thought of killing innocent people for something so small made me sick.

"Leave us alone!" I screamed. The man smiled and continued to walked towards us. My arms were shaking.

"There is so much you don't know." The man said.

"Stand back." I whispered. But he kept coming forwards. He stopped right before me and he looked right into my eyes.

"You can't do it can you?" He asked with a smile on his face. I swallowed the lumped in my throat. The man laughed. Jedd groaned next to me. The man looked down at him.

"And what's this?" The man stepped on Jedd's injured leg. Jedd yelled in pain

"Vermin?" I shoved the gun at his chest.

"What the hell do you want?" I asked. The man smiled ad looked at me again.

"Purity." The man said. I gritted my teeth. I couldn't shoot him. I knew I couldn't and he knew I couldn't. I spun around at tried too hit him with the end of the gun but he saw my move coming. With one movement of his arm the gun flew out of my hands and he had his hand around my throat. He lifted me off the ground as I struggled for air. I clawed at his arms but he didn't seem to feel it.

"Let her go!" Jedd yelled from below. Another person wearing sunglasses appeared beside the man holding me. He had a device in his hand. It lit up and a light passed over me. There was a beep and the man looked at the other one.

"She is pure." He whispered. The man released me and I fell to the ground gasping for breath. Next, they looked at Jedd. The light passed over him. There was a beep. The man shook his head. The man that shot Jedd in the leg pulled out his gun in slow motion. I screamed. Jedd looked at me one last time and his eyes said one word. Run. The gunshot was ringing in my ears. Jedd fell backwards and didn't move again.

They killed him. I screamed. I screamed and screamed and screamed. I held his body in my arms. His empty, lifeless eyes staring back at me. And I cried. Tears wracking throughout my body. I trembled. They killed him. I was numb from the pain. I barely felt it when the lifted me and put me in a vehicle and they drove. They took me away. Took me away from the Fringe. Away from my new life. Away from Jedd.

* * *

**That was a tough one guys. I didn't want Jedd to go but I felt it was necessary for the plot line. Hope it kept you on the edge of you seats! Stay tuned for 7:)**

**~Wallflower95**


	7. Taken

**Hey guys! Hope you liked the last chapter. Anyone know who killed Jedd? Well you will meet him soon enough! I really really did not want to kill Jedd off because I've really grown to like his character but it was necessary to the story. oh yeah and you guys guessed right. It's Andrew Prior! ;)**

**Anyway, I've been doing some research on Natalie and it says a lot of different things like how David rescued her from the Fringe. I'm changing it quite a bit. I completely invented Jedd's character and I know nothing about Andrew Prior's past so I thought it'd be an interesting twist to have Natalie meet him in the Fringe. I've made these changes because I created this amazing plot line that I'm sure you guys are going to love:) hope you like this chapter. please comment and review if you have the time! thanks:)**

**~Wallflower95**

* * *

**7**

**Taken**

I drifted in and out of consciousness. I had no idea where I was. When I had woken up I realized my wrists and ankles were bound. I blinked. I was in a moving vehicle. There were beams of light come through an opening in the canvas that cover the compartment of the vehicle I was in. I felt something touch my foot and I looked around realizing there were other people in here with me. Not many. Seven or eight. My age or older. There were all tied up and scared. I recognized a face. Andre. The boy I saved. He stared at me with wide eyes. Struggling to find words. I moved my head to look at the other faces but Jedd was not there. I flashed back to the Fringe. The man with the gun. The gunshot. Jedd falling backwards. His dead eyes staring back at me. He really was gone.

All sound was gone. I thought I heard someone say my name softly but I put my head down again. I closed my eyes. Jedd's face appeared in my head and I succumbed to the sleep that dragged me down.

* * *

When I woke up we were no longer in the vehicle. I was in a room with the same people who had been in the vehicle with me. We were no longer tied up. I sat up and winced. My sore body protesting at the movement. I ignored my sore muscles and I stood up, stretching my arms and legs. I got a good look at everyone who had been taken from the Fringe with me. There were nine of us, including me. Three boys and six girls. There was Andrew, and two boys one at least ten years of age and the other was in his twenties. Fours of the girls looked under the age of twelve and the last girl looked to be in her twenties.

They were all in shock. Holding each other. Waiting to see what would happen next. I saw the door in front of me and I tried it. Locked of course. I sighed.

"What do these people want?" One of the girls asked.

"Hush little one." The older girl said as she stroke her hair. I paced the room.

"Why? What have we done?" The older girl asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

"What do they want with us?" Andrew asked.

"I'm not sure but we will soon find out." I said. One of the little girls started crying softly. I sat down beside her.

"Are you alright?" I asked. She shook her head. I put my arm around her shoulders and I hugged her.

"It will all be okay." I whispered.

"How do you know?" She asked. I smiled.

"I just know." We were in there for what felt like hours. No one came to check on us. I soon learned the names of everyone one in the room. The older girl was named Sherry, two of the little girls were her sisters, Amara and Leah. The last three girls were Alice, Jean and Vada. The young boy was Evan and the older boy Dan. It was only when my stomach started growling did we hear the lock click on the door. Everyone scrambled to stand up and the door opened. Four men came in with plates of food for everyone in the room. They didn't say a word as they placed each plate of the ground.

"What's going on? Why have you taken us?" I asked. But there was no reply.

"Hello?" I waved my hand in front of their faces but there was no reaction from them. Once they had finished their task they filed out of the room without saying anything. The door clicked shut and the lock fell into place.

"Well that was odd." Andrew said. Dan, Sherry and Andrew had come to stand by while the younger children ate.

"How do we get out of here?" Sherry asked.

"Well the door is our only way out and I assume they have people out there guarding the door." Dan said.

"There's no way out." Andrew said. I nodded.

"Andrew is right. There is no way out and even if there was we would have no chance of getting out of here. Not with the children." I said. They all nodded.

"What do they want with us?" Sherry whispered. I sighed.

"My friend, Jedd had said that they took people from other towns. Like they took us. He didn't know what they used them for. All he knew was that they were taken." I said. The lock clicked on the door and it opened. We all stepped back. A man stepped in. He had cold dark eyes and dark brown hair. I recognized those eyes. No remorse.

"You!" I lunged towards the man but I was held back. The man smirked at me. I gritted my teeth. He killed Jedd. I wanted to claw his eyes out.

"What do you want with us?" I growled.

"It's quite simple. Experimentation." He said.

"That's absurd." I scoffed. The man laughed.

"Is it?" I said nothing. Strong arms held me back from killing the man who killed Jedd.

"I remember you." He said, pointing at me. I bit down on my tongue, drawing blood. He moved closer.

"I killed your friend, didn't I?" He said with a hint of a smile on his face.

"Yes. Yes you did." I said. He smiled.

"Too bad he was not pure." The man said.

"What the hell does that mean?" I asked. The man ignored my question and looked at everyone else in the room.

"I am sure you are curious as to what you are doing here." The man said. There no reply, only silence.

"My name is David Kells. I am head of the Bureau of Genetic Welfare. You are all now property of the Bureau." Men filed into the room with devices in their hands . Each man took one of us by the arm and stamped something on it. I winced. It hurt for a moment. I looked down to see a stamped logo with the lette on it. Number 511 was underneath the logo. I looked up at David who was smiling at me.

"I am sure you will all be very happy here." He said. He turned around and closed the door behind him and his men. I let out my breath... not realizing I had been holding it in this whole time.

"He killed your friend?" Andrew asked softly. I nodded, Jedd's face was in my memory. Andrew helped me down to the ground and I leaned my head against the wall. Andrew sat down beside me. I noticed one side of Andrew's face was purple and bruised. There was no swelling. I touched it gently. Andrew flinched and then relaxed.

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

"It's okay." He said.

"Does it still hurt?" I asked. He shook his head. I pulled my hand back but Andrew took it in his hand.

"Wait." I held my breath. Andrew took my hand and he slowly laced his fingers through mine, interlocking our hands together. He looked at me. I hadn't noticed before. He had soft blue and kind eyes. His light brown messy but still looking perfect. He had laugh lines at the corner of his mouth. I looked into his and I wished my eyes had that color. The color of water. Kind looking eyes. My eyes were the color of fresh mud. Andrew was breathing evenly. He squeezed my hand gently. My heart flutter inside my chest. Like a butterfly taking flight. He looked deep into my eyes and he smiled at me.

There were now words. We said everything with our eyes. We stayed like that for and hour. Staring at each other. When everyone else had fallen asleep, Andrew nudged.

"Time to sleep." I nodded. Andrew smiled. I leaned against his shoulder. I've never felt so safe in my life.

"You know what we have to do Natalie?"

"What?" I asked. He stroked my hair.

"We have to be brave." He whispered. And I closed my eyes. Falling into a quiet and peaceful sleep. Feeling safe and the words 'Be brave' echoing in my dreams.

* * *

**Comment and review please! Thanks:)**

**~Wallflower95**


	8. Experiments

**Hey guys! Here's chapter 8:) so if you've ready my fault in our stars fanfic Their Little Infinity and you're waiting for the sequel well the wait is over! I just released the very first chapter of Anna's Infinity! Take a look and let me know what you think:) And I will also be releasing a new fanfic in the next week or two. It will be Hunger Games story. Anyone interested? **

**Anyways, I'll let you read on. Enjoy the chapter!**

**~Wallflower95**

* * *

**8**

**Experiments**

It was difficult to say how much time had passed before David Kells visited us again. It may have been a week before that door opened again. The lock clicked and the door opened. The younger kids scrambled to the corner, the older ones stood in front of them. Protecting them. David Kells entered, his hands clasped behind his back. He smirked at the sight of us.

"What do you want?" Dan snarled. David's cold eyes fell on him.

"Many things dear boy. Simply to many to explain to your inferior mind." David said in a cold, chilling voice. I gritted my teeth. His eyes snapped to mine. David snapped his fingers. Two men entered the room.

"Bring her." He said, gesturing to me. I stepped back but the two men were fast. They grasped my arms and held me above the ground.

"Let her go!" Andrew yelled. David spun around and threw Andrew against the wall. His speed shocking us all.

"Would you like a bullet in your head boy?" He hissed in Andrew ear. Andrew didn't reply.

"Then I suggest you shut your mouth." David dropped Andrew and walked out of the room. The two men holding me marched out of the room behind him. The last thing I saw was Andrew staring at me with utter shock in his eyes. He opened his mouth and said something. I didn't hear him but I could practically read his lips 'Be brave' and then the door was closed.

* * *

"What do you want from me?" I snapped. But no one replied. I was terrified. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. I breathed slowly. In and out. Trying to slow down my heartbeat. We walked into a room. Several people in white coats stood in the room, whispering to each other. The held clipboards. When they saw me they started scribbling notes. In the middle of the room was a chair. I struggled to get out of the grip the two men had on me but it was no use.

They forced me into the chair and I was strapped into it.

"What the hell is going on?" I practically spat in David's face. He looked down at me as if I was dirt on his shoe.

"I must see something. Then I will believe it." He said. What he's saying does not make any sense to me.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" There was a prick in my right arm. I looked over to see you man. He looked nervous and guilty. He had stuck a need into it. Attached was a clear tube that ran up to a hanging plastic bag full of clear liquid.

"What is that?" I asked nervously.

"Something that will help you relax." David said. Another person, a woman this time put patches on my forehead with wires running down to a monitor next to my chair. It was like I was some kind of animal. Back in Milwaukee the entertainment for kids was poking at animals they had found. One time when I was walking home, I saw a group of boys next to the road. They were poking at a dog. Kicking it. Taunting it. One boy had ripped a large branch from a tree nearby at put the dog out of it's misery. It was gruesome sight.

I felt like the dog. Being poked and prodded by people I didn't trust.

An odd feeling came over me. I shook my head. My vision started darkening at the edges. I felt as if I wasn't even in my body. David chuckled. I glared at him.

"What did you do to me?" I said. My voice was slightly slurred.

"A drug. It will put your mind at ease. We need you relaxed in order to see the true results." I shook my head again, trying to stay awake.

"We're ready." A woman said. David clapped his hands together.

"Begin." Everyone in the room started to work. The woman next to me started fiddling with the monitor. I blinked. I needed to stay awake. I needed to find out what they were doing. Something appeared on the screen of the monitor but I couldn't make it out. My vision was starting to blur. There was a beeping sound. David stood next to the monitor, looking at the results.

"She's pure. Completely and fully pure." David smiled.

"Excellent." And the world disappeared into darkness.

* * *

So many images flashed through my mind. Like I was reading my life story. Moments with my family when we were all happy. Cara and Mattius. My parents. Then I saw Jedd's face. I remembered him taking me in and treating me like a daughter. I saw Andrew. Smiling at me, his blue eyes shining. And then he said something to me. He kept saying it until my hearing returned.

_Be brave Natalie._

Then the images were torn away from me. I saw Ian's face above me. My mother with a gun in her hand. My father with his fist raised. The boy in the alley. David's cold eyes.

_Be brave Natalie._

I screamed. It was all in my head. All in my head. I struggled from unconsciousness. It felt like I was underwater. Trapped with no breath. I swam up from the dark memories. Trying to get some air.

I gasped. My eyes opened. My vision was still blurry from the drug. I could hear voices. They were muffled and sounded distant but I knew the voices belonged to the faces above me. I braced myself for more prodding. Something touched my arm. I flinched. It wasn't a needle. It was a gentle hand trying to help me up. A face appeared in front of me. Clear as day. Andrew. I sighed in relief. Arms helped me lean against the wall. My body felt tingly and numb. Side effects of the drug.

"Are you okay?" Andrew asked. I nodded. My throat felt so dry. I was afraid to speak. Andrew picked up a glass of water from the lunch tray. I gladly took it.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice sounding raspy.

"They came back with you in their arms. Unconscious. We thought you were dead." Dan said. A small and terrified sound escaped from Sherry's lips. Her eyes were wide open in shock. She sat in front of us with her arms wrapped around her knees.

"What's going on?" I asked. Dan looked at Sherry and then turned back to me.

"Right after they dropped you off here they took the kids. All of them. Sherry fought them for Amara and Leah but it was no use. Evan, Alice, Jean and Vada are gone as well."

"What do they want with us?" Sherry asked. She looked close to tears.

"Before I went unconscious they attached me to a machine. They were looking at this monitor and they said I was pure. I don't know what it means." I said.

"This doesn't make sense." Dan said, sounding frustrated. I shivered. I was relieved that I was back in here with people I trusted. Andrew put his arm around me and held me close. I closed my eyes, relishing the warmth of his body next to mine.

"We need to get out of here." I whispered. Andrew nodded.

"But how?" He asked. I smiled.

"I have a plan."

* * *

It was about an hour or two later when the younger ones were returned to us. Drugged like I had been. The men gestured for Sherry. David stood outside the door, waiting for the next person to poke with a needle. Sherry looked down at her sisters Amara and Leah who were still unconscious. They did not have to grab her by the arms. Sherry went willingly.

Once the door closed, I looked at both Andrew and Dan.

"We have to get out of here." I whispered.

"But how? The only way out is that door and they are out there." Dan said.

"We need some sort of distraction that will lure some of the guards in here. When they come in we attack and take their weapons. Then we escape." Dan laughed.

"Sure it sounds simple when you say it like that but the truth is it's suicide. I like life thank you very much."

"If we stay here any longer we won't live very long." Andrew pointed out.

"I say we give it a shot." Andrew said. I nodded. Dan stayed quiet.

"If it doesn't work then fine. They won't kill us. They obviously need us for some reason." Andrew said. Dan nodded.

"Okay. But if we die I'm blaming you." Andrew smiled.

"Sure thing." Dan looked at me.

"So what's your brilliant plan of escape Nat?" Dan asked. I smiled.

"Here's what I had in mind..."

* * *

**Will their plan work? Find out in chapter 9!:) Comment and review please. let me know your thoughts on this chapter. Thanks!**

**~Wallflower95**


	9. Escape

**Hey guys! I can't wait for you guys to read this chapter! I've been working on it for quite a bit and I am so happy with how it turned out:) get ready for a heart pounding chapter because this is it. I just want to give a shout out to Queenbitchtoyou. Thank you so much for the incredible words! Your compliments inspires me so much and I will never stop writing because of you! You made my day:) Thank you everyone for your kind words! You are all amazing and so supportive!**

**I hope you guys like this chapter. It was very hard to write to be honest but in ways it was really different. Enjoy the chapter!**

**~Wallflower95**

* * *

**9**

**Escape**

The door opened just as I had finished telling the others my plan of escape. Sherry entered with two men in the doorway. I frowned. When they had returned me and the younger ones we had all been drugged. Why hadn't Sherry been drugged? But I ignored the odd feeling in the pit of my stomach as David entered the room with his hands folded behind him.

"I trust you are enjoying your stay?" Dan, Andrew and I glared at him. Sherry stood off in the corner hugging herself. The younger ones were still groggy.

"I will take that as a yes." David said.

"No. We are not enjoying our stay." I spat. David's eyes fell on me. He stepped closer and caressed my skin. Andrew flinched next to me.

"One day you will understand why we are doing this." He said. I shoved his hand away.

"I will never understand." David smiled at me and turned around. The door closed behind him. I let out the breath I had been holding in.

"We need to get out of here." I whispered. Both Dan and Andrew nodded.

* * *

Vada laid down on the ground. Pretending to be unconscious. Alice nodded. Both Jean and Alice started screaming really loudly. I called for help. Andrew and Dan yelled. The door flew open and the two guards rushed in. That was our moment. I grabbed the arm of one guy and flipped him onto his back, kicking him in the face. I fell to the ground, his body limp. The other guy was taken out by Andrew and Dan. The door was open.

"Ready?" Dan asked everyone. They all nodded. Dan looked up and down the hall before he gave us the all clear. We tiptoed down the hall.

"We have to hurry. They'll notice we're gone." Andrew said.

"Relax." Dan whispered. He checked around the corner. I was jumpy. Andrew was right. The would soon find out we were missing. I looked over at the others. Vada, Jean and Alice were wringing their wrists or biting their lips. Sherry held on tight to Amara and Leah. Evan stayed near Dan and I was next to Andrew.

"We need to move faster." I hissed. Dan held up his hand. My heart was pounding. _Move faster move faster. _I thought. I heard footsteps from the hall we just left. The hall leading to the room we were trapped in. I shoved the line forward. Alarms started blaring.

"Run!" Flashing red lights were all along the wall. There were so many twists and turns. I didn't even know where we were just that we had to get away. Sherry ran with Amara and Leah behind her. Both looking absolutely terrified. I looked behind me thinking there'd be an army of the genetic welfare guys behind us but no one was following us. I grabbed Andrew's arm.

"Stop!" I yelled. Dan whipped his head towards me. His eyes wild with adrenaline.

"What?! You just said run thirty seconds ago." I pointed behind us.

"No one is following us." I snapped.

"So? That means we have a better chance of escaping." Dan said. I shook my head.

"Something's wrong." I said. Andrew nodded.

"Natalie is right. Something doesn't feel right." He said.

"I don't give a shit. This is our chance to get out of here and if you guys aren't taking it then I will." Dan said. He walked away with Evan, Vada, Jean and Alice. Sherry stood there holding Amara and Leah who looked like they were close to tears.

"Something's not right." I said to Andrew.

"Why didn't they come after us after the alarms went off?" Andrew asked.

"Maybe they want us to try and escape." I said. Andrew took my arm.

"We need to warn the others. David could be waiting for them." I nodded. We went down the hall Dan had gone down. It was empty.

"This place is a maze." Andrew said. We walked down the hall. Our footsteps soundless on the white floors. All the halls were empty. My heart started pounding again. What if David got to the others already.

"There's no one here Andrew." I said, getting frustrated. Our backs turned away from Sherry and the girls. Andrew took me by the shoulders.

"Be brave Natalie. Come on. We can do this." I nodded. He put his forehead against mine. There was a low buzzing sound coming from behind us. That weird feeling I had before. I knew something had been wrong but I didn't want to admit it. I thought it was just David toying with us but he did something worse. He got to one of us. Andrew and I turned around slowly.

Leah and Amara stood behind Sherry. She had to devices in her hands that were buzzing softly. Stun guns.

"Sherry, what are you doing?" I asked slowly.

"He said I could leave with my sisters if I just handed you over." Sherry said.

"You can't trust him Sherry." Andrew said. Sherry smiled.

"I would do anything to protect my sisters. I'm sorry but I need to think of them. He can have you guys." With lightning speed, Sherry thrust forward. Andrew went down, unconscious. I stared at Sherry in horror. Shock consumed me.

"Sorry." Sherry whispered. The world went dark.

* * *

My head was pounding. Everything was bright. I squinted. A light hung precariously from the ceiling. I shook my head a little. I was chained to the wall with my arms above my head. I winced as my arms screamed in protest. I saw someone next to me. On my right was Andrew.

"Natalie?" I groaned. On my left was Dan. He had a cut on his head that was bleeding quite a bit. His skin looked ghostly white but his eyes were alert.

"What the hell happened?" He croaked. Next to Dan was Alice and Vada. I looked on the other side of Andrew.

"Where are Jean and Evan?" I asked. Dan looked up and down but there was no sign of them. I could practically feel my heart in my throat. I struggled against the chains but there was no use.

"Where's Sherry?" Dan asked.

"Gone." I said. Dan noted the tone in my voice and he closed his eyes.

"They got to her huh?" I nodded. Dan swore. Andrew shook the chains that bound his wrists.

"They're going to kill us." Dan said. I looked down at the ground.

"We're trapped." I said.

"Natalie." I looked at Andrew.

"No. Don't give up hope just yet. It's the last thing to go. When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope." Andrew said to me. I nodded. Andrew was right. I can't give up. Not yet. The door opened. Davids Kells walked in with four of his men. And Sherry.

She didn't look us in the eyes. Her arms were wrapped around her body. Her brown eyes faced the ground. Her blonde hair was a barrier between her and us. I glared at the people who entered the room.

"Good evening." David said. There was no reply from us.

"As you know, Sherry here." David said, gesturing to Sherry.

"Was offered something she could not refuse. In exchange we got you." David said with a smile on his face. Sherry shuffled her feet nervously. Dan spat on the ground.

"Hope it was worth it Sherry." He growled. Sherry didn't reply. She pursed her lips and looked at the ground again. David nodded to one of his men. The man opened the door they came from and Amara and Leah walked in. Sherry sighed in relief and hugged her sisters. They didn't say anything.

"You kept your promise." Sherry said. David nodded.

"I do not lie dear girl." David said. Sherry looked at us for the first time since coming into the room."

"What will you do to them?" She asked. David looked at us.

"They will not be harmed." David said. I did not believe a word that came out of his mouth.

"How could you trust him Sherry?" I hissed. Sherry looked at me, anger in her eyes.

"What would you do if your family was involved?" She asked.

"My family is dead so I would not have betrayed you." I spat. Sherry stood up straight and looked right at me.

"Well my family is alive and they come first." Sherry said. She looked at David.

"We are free to go?" David smiled and pulled something out of his coat pocket. Pointing it at the the three of them. He clicked it.

"Yes. You are free to go." There was two gunshots and I watched in horror as both Amara and Leah went down. One shot to the head. Blood poured from the bullet wounds. Sherry screamed. She fell to their sides. Screaming. Shaking them. Telling them to wake up but it was useless. They were gone. Sherry sobbed. David stood before her with the gun in his hand.

"Never make deals with the devil." He shot Sherry and she fell in between her sisters. Vada and Alice screamed. Andrew looked like he would be sick. Dan stared at David with anger in his eyes. I shook the chains.

"Why did you do that?!" I screamed. David smiled and slipped the gun back into his pocket.

"They are free. That's what they wanted is it not?"

"You sick bastard!" Dan yelled. David smiled.

"Yes I suppose so." David said. He snapped his finger and men brought Jean and Evan in the room. They were dragged into the room and thrown in front of David. Both looked groggy and limp. Drugged.

"What have you done with them?" Andrew growled.

"On the contrary, what will I do with them?" David said with a sadistic smile on his face. One of his men had a silver tray in his hands with two syringes on it. The syringes held green liquid in them.

"No!" Dan yelled. David ignored Dan's outburst and he stuck the needles in Jean and Evan. Pushing down on the plunger that released the green substance into their systems.

"Memory serum." David said.

"It's a beautiful thing. They won't remember anything. Not you. Not the Fringe. Not even themselves." Both Jean and Evan awakened and looked around the room in a confused manor.

"Where are we?" Jean asked, looking at David. David knelt down with a smile on his face.

"You are safe my dear." David offered his hand. Jean smiled and took it.

"No!" I yelled. Evan looked at us.

"Who are they?" He asked.

"They tried to kill you. We saved you before they could finish the job." David said. Something changed in their eyes. Hate. I saw hate and anger in their eyes and for a moment I was very, very scared. David smiled at the five of us.

"Enjoy your night." He said. And he walked out of the room with Jean, Evan and his men. Leaving the bodies of Amara, Leah and Sherry. Sherry's eyes were still open. A lone tear left behind on her cheek. Her glass brown eyes staring off in the distance.

* * *

**And there you have it! what does David have planned next? Who knows! Hope you liked it:) comment and review please! Will post chapter 10 soon.**

**~Wallflower95**

**p.s oh and I am in the process of writing my hunger games fanfic and I'm thinking it's going to be set during the first book and it will be a story about Rue. I think I'm going to write all from her pov. The Hunger Games from Rue's pov. What do you guys think? Oh and I'm also thinking of starting a Once Upon a Time fanfic. Would anyone be interested?**

**p.p.s _"No. Don't give up hope just yet. It's the last thing to go. When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope." _From I am Number Four**


	10. Pure

**Hello everyone!:) I totally forgot to answer some questions from the last chapter. Sorry about that guys! This is for riversong: at the moment I'm actually working three jobs so I'm pretty buys :P To FandomBox: I'm thinking for the Once Upon a Time fanfic I'll base it on season four and it'll have Emma, Regina and Elsa and Anna and all those current character. I'm thinking I might bring Jack Frost in as a love interest for Else in the fanfic but I'm not to sure yet. Yes I am kind of a Jelsa fan and I have no shame:) I'm not sure what I'll do yet cause who knows they might actually make Jelsa into a thing on Once Upon a Time. It may be a love story about Jack and Elsa or it might be something else. What do you guys think?**

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter! Keep calm and read on:)**

**~Wallflower95**

* * *

**10**

**Pure**

Cold water was thrown onto me. I gasped and spluttered. I heard the other experiencing the same thing. Water dripped into my eyes. I blinked a few time before realizing David stood before with an ugly smiled plastered on his face.

"Good morning children." He said. I glared at him. We were still chained to the wall. I noticed the bodies of Amara, Leah and Sherry were taken away but there was still a trail of blood on the ground. From people dragging their bodies away. I shivered. David snapped his finger and men came towards us. Dan struggled but I stayed still. The unlocked our chains and we fell to the ground. Rubbing our sore wrists. We stayed quiet. The silence was awful but I didn't want to risk saying the wrong thing. Finally, Dan opened his mouth.

"Look we just want to-" David walked towards him and slapped him hard across the face with the back of his had. Dan head went sideways. A big red mark was across his cheek. I shivered in my drenched clothes. David paced back and forth in front of us, as if he was thinking of what to do with us next.

"Take them." David said. His men walked forwards and took us all by the arms. No one struggled. Not even Dan. Why? Because there was no point. If you struggled you'd end up dead. The only way out of here was to stay alive. The men carried us down the hall to yet another room. A room with five chairs. Next to each chair was a monitor.

Each of us was strapped into a chair and David stood in front of us.

"Our job is to preserve all the genetically pure and to repair all the genetically damaged people." David said.

"After the Purity War the Bureau of Genetic Welfare was created to do this. This is a damaged world with damaged people. We are here to help them." David said.

"Helping us how? By running through towns and killing people who are damaged?" David pursed his lips together.

"Some people are just so damaged they cannot be saved." He said.

"You didn't even try to save them." I said.

"No matter." David said. David waved his hand and some of his men came towards us.

"We know this one is pure. Check the others." David whispered to one of his men. He was talking about me. I am genetically pure. Andrew, Dan, Vada and Alice were each stabbed with a syringe. I struggled against my restraints.

"Leave them alone!" Each of their monitors lit up and I watched the scene in horror as two men shook their heads at both Alice and Vada's monitors. David shook his head sadly.

"What shall we do with them sir?" A man whispered to David.

"Get rid of them." I watched in horror as a man released both of them, forced them to kneel on their knees and pointed a gun at them. I head them crying softly. Their shoulder shaking.

"Stop!" I screamed. I struggled in my restraints. David looked at me.

"Why must you kill them? They have never caused you pain or harm. Release them! Free them!" David nodded.

"Very true..."

"Please... don't kill them." I said. David smiled and snapped his fingers.

"Put them in a cell... for now." David said. I sighed in relief as Alice and Vada were taken out of the room. Only the three of us remained. David turned to us with a cold smile on his face and I knew I was right back to where I started. Trapped.

* * *

Time passed. Tests were run. Monitors beeping. Chemicals were put into my body. I'm not sure how much time went by. Maybe a week or two? I didn't know. After yet another day of tests the three of us were thrown into our room. Dan had given up struggling. All the drugs they had used to sedate him had finally taken a toll on his body. Once we were in the room, Dan collapsed to the ground. Andrew groaned and I knelt down slowly, leaning my head against the wall.

"We can't keep doing this." I whispered. Andrew shook his head.

"I know."

"We're going to die here." He took my hand and laced his finger through mine. I looked up at his face. Unlike us, Andrew's face never lost it's color. He still had that bright with... hope.

"Be brave Natalie." He whispered. But I was done being brave. I was so tired. I was so scared. I was done. I leaned against Andrew's shoulder and I cried softly. Andrew stroked my hair as I cried.

"It'll be okay." He whispered. He put his hand on my chin and lifted my face so we were looking at each other eye to eye.

"No matter what happens Natalie you must be brave. Do you promise?" I wasn't sure if I could. Could I stay strong and brave? No. But I had to. I nodded.

"Yes. Okay." I said. Andrew wiped a tear away and leaned towards me. My lips parts and his lips touched mine. It was like electricity buzzing inside of me. I felt alive when Andrew's lips touched mine. I pulled him towards me. I felt Andrew's hands against my head, pulling me towards him. I wanted to stay like this forever and never let go.

* * *

I was jolted awake by a door crashing open. Andrew's arms were wrapped around me. Protecting me from the world. David stood in the door way. His shadow stretching into the room. Andrew held me tighter and glared at David. David snapped his fingers and four men surged forward, grabbing Andrew.

"What are you doing?" I demanded. Andrew struggled against them.

"Let him go!" I screamed. I reached for Andrew's hand and held it tight. The men continued to pull him away from me. Out of the corner of my eye I could see David relishing the sight.

"Natalie!" Andrew yelled. I grit my teeth together and kicked out at the men. I heard a nasty crack and one man went down clutching his knee. I could feel the adrenaline running through my veins. I suddenly felt invincible. I clenched my fist and punched another man who held Andrew. Once one of Andrew's arms were free he lashed out at another man. More men were at the doorway. Andrew and I stood back to back. I felt strong. I felt brave.

We fought hard but they just kept getting up. I couldn't let them take him away. I need Andrew. I was just getting up from taking down another guy when I felt a shock go through my body. Something had struck me in the neck and I felt a painful shock freeze my body. I fell to the ground my body limp. I heard Andrew yell and then I felt him fall right next to me. David stood above us with a device in his hand that was buzzing with electricity. He smiled down at us.

"A valiant effort from the both of you." Men reached down and dragged Andrew away. I tried crawling towards the door.

"No." I said. I saw Andrew looking at me. There was no hope in his blue eyes. There was only fear.

"No!" I screamed. I reached for Andrew but no matter how far I reached I could not get to him.

"Andrew!" The door closed with a click and Andrew was gone.

_Be brave._ His words echoed in my head._ Be brave._

* * *

**Hope you liked that one:) Will update soon! And just want to say a huge thanks to everyone for all their kind words about all my stories. I would be able to write like this without any of your support.**

**Love from,**

**~Wallflower95**


	11. Damaged

**Hey guys! Sorry this chapter took some time. I had a tough time writing this one. So big news you guys! I recently published and post chapter 1 and 2 of my newest fanfic story called 'Here I Lie'. It's a Hunger Games fanfic set during the first book and it's all told from Rue pov. Check it out!:) Hope you all like this chapter. Comment and review please:)**

**~Wallflower95**

* * *

**11**

**Damaged**

It may have been weeks since I've seen Andrew. Weeks without hearing is voice. Seeing the hope shining in his blue eyes. Every day was repetitive. They take us out and jab us with needles to test our genes. I didn't understand the point. Why do this to us? They know what kinds of genes we have. So why keep this up? Of course, sometimes you have to be careful for what you wish for.

The door opened and light streamed in. I blocked my eyes and my arm was wrenched behind me. I struggled for a moment. Only a moment and then I gave up. Dan didn't put up fights any more. It seemed like they had taken everything from him. His dignity, his strength, his life. We were dragged out of the room. Everything blurred past me. I didn't bother looking up. We finally reached a room and we were set on the ground. No chains. We weren't bound. I saw the door where we came in. Just for a moment I thought I could do it. I thought I could escape.

_And leave the others? Leave Andrew?_

I looked back at the ground. A set of footsteps walked into the room and David stood before us.

"How are we feeling today?" He asked cheerfully.

"Like hell." Dan muttered. Those were the first words he had spoken in weeks. I glared at David. He smirked.

"I am sorry to here that, Dan." Dan's flickered upwards.

"Oh yes. I know all about you." David circled us with his hands resting behind his back. Dan Allson. Orphaned at a young age. Abandoned by your older brother Sean. Left alone in the Fringe. Lived your life in solitary. Alone on the streets. A poor worthless human being." David said. Dan glared at the ground. David leaned towards Dan. I flinched.

"How?" Dan growled. David continued to circle Dan.

"You are genetically pure Dan. Not nearly as much as Natalie here but you are pure and I could use skills like yours." David said.

"Join the Bureau of Genetic Welfare and you will never have to be alone again." I stared at Dan in complete shock.

"Don't trust him Dan." I hissed. But Dan stayed quiet. My heart pounded in my chest.

"Do you hear me? Remember what he did to all those people in the Fringe. He murdered them. You can't trust him!" But Dan just looked at the ground.

"Why are you doing this?" I demanded. David smiled down at me.

"You are both pure. I need your skills. You could have everything you've ever wanted. Food, clothes and a family." I glared at him.

"I want Andrew." I said. David nodded.

"Ahh yes. Andrew." David said.

"What have you done to him?" I demanded. But David ignored me. Instead he turned back to Dan.

"Well Dan? You can have everything here. All you have to do is say yes." David said.

"Please Dan. Remember what he did to our friends." I said.

"What friends? Sherry?" Dan spat. I flinched at his words.

"If she had been her friend she wouldn't have betrayed us." Dan snapped.

"She was just trying to-"

"Save herself and her sister. She didn't think of us at all Natalie. She was not our friend. She deserved what she got." I swallowed a lump in my throat.

"Dan please listen. You can't trust David."

"Why? Because you don't trust him?" I gritted my teeth.

"Dan he kills people." I said.

"If we don't go with him Natalie then we'll be dead as well." Dan turned towards David.

"I'll join you." I stared at Dan in shock. David clapped his hand together and smiled down at Dan.

"Excellent my friend. Welcome to the Bureau." David reached down and pulled Dan to his feet. David and Dan faced me. As if they were waiting for me to join their little club. I glared at the two of them.

"And what about you Natalie Wright?" I flinched at the name.

"Oh yes. I know about you as well. From Milwaukee. Witnessed your mother killing you father. Ran away from your family and left them there to die. Ended up in the Fringe with that good for nothing Jedd." David said through his teeth.

"Jedd was a great man." I spat.

"Well he's dead now."

"Because you killed him!" I screamed. I reached out and clawed David face. He stepped backwards yelled. I wrenched backwards and punched in the stomach. I gasped at the pain but I didn't care. I made him pay for Jedd and that's all that really mattered to me. David stood in front of me. Red claw marks went down the right side of his face.

"Join us." He growled. I smiled at him and whispered.

"Never." He glared at me and then a smiled slowly appeared on his face.

"Perhaps Ms. Wright needs a little... incentive." He waved his hand and the door opened. Two men dragged a limp body in between them. Once they were in the light I realized it was Andrew. I gasped.

"Andrew!" I ran forward, struggling to get out of the grip the men had on me. I reached Andrew just as the men released their grip on Andrew. Andrew slid into my arms. His eyes fluttered open and I sighed in relief as I saw his familiar blue eyes. Still bright with hope. He smiled at me.

"Told you you could do it." He whispered.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Be brave." He smiled and I laughed. I leaned down and kiss him full on the mouth. His hand reached up to hold my face and caress my cheek. That kiss was all that I needed to bring the warmth and strength back into my body. I felt a fire burning inside of my chest. We let go and he brushed the hair out of eyes.

"Now Ms. Wright." A cold voice said. David stood in front of us.

"Will you join the Bureau of Genetic Welfare." I smiled at him.

"Over my dead body." He smirked at me.

"That can be arranged." Andrew gripped my hand.

"Unfortunately you are very precious and to valuable to terminate." David said.

"So I will have to threaten another." Men reached down and pulled me away from Andrew. I screamed and tried kicking but they were to strong. Two men held Andrew.

"If you do not join the Bureau I will kill Andrew." David said. I glared at him.

"Don't do it Natalie." Andrew said. David pulled a gun out from the inside of his jacket. I tried to move forwards but the men holding me prevented me.

"Time is running out Ms. Wright." The gun gleamed in the light. Andrew looked right at me.

"Don't do it." He said.

"1..." The gun clicked. The safety was off. Andrew was still looking at me. The blue eyes staring right at me.

"2..." David put the gun against Andrew's head. I saw a flash of something in Andrew's eyes. It wasn't hope. It was fear.

"3..."

"STOP!" I screamed. David looked at me. So did Andrew.

"I'll join." I said through gritted teeth.

"Just let Andrew go." I said. Andrew let out a deep breath. David smiled at me.

"A very wise choice Natalie." He said. I looked down at the ground in defeat. David walked towards and lifted my head up so I was looking into his cold dark eyes.

"You will make a fine addition." I wrenched my chin out of his grip. David waved his hand.

"Get rid of him."

"What?!" I screamed. The two men holding Andrew kicked him to the ground and pulled a gun out and pointed right at his head.

"I've joined your damn Bureau you have to let him go!" I screamed at David. David's back was facing me.

"Ahh yes well I am not the most trustworthy person Ms. Wright." David said. The gun clicked.

"NOO!" I screamed. A woman went to David and whispered something in his ear. The men that had Andrew froze, waiting for the next order. David turned and leaned down towards Andrew.

"You are not genetically pure." He said. Lifting Andrew's head upwards.

"But you may be able to serve another purpose." The woman returned with a tray. On the tray was a syringe with green liquid inside. I wrenched my arm of the man's grip and screamed.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"Andrew, unlike you is not genetically pure therefore he is no use to use. Evelyn here has suggest another use for him." David said and he looked right at me.

"I guess we don't have to kill him after all." He took the syringe and stabbed Andrew with hit, pushing down on the plunger. I screamed and screamed.

"Andrew!" But he was no longer Andrew. As soon as the liquid entered his system his pupil dilated. There was no more hope in his eyes. It was like a light switch was turned off inside his head and Andrew was no more. He blinked and looked around the room. His eyes passed over me.

"Where am I? Who am I?" He asked. My heart shattered. I fell to my knees. Tears blurred my vision.

"You are safe my friend." David said, putting each hand on Andrew's shoulders.

"You are Andrew Prior. We found you and we are going to take you back home." David said. Andrew looked around David at me.

"Who is she?" He asked.

"Nobody." A feeling of defeat washed over me like a tidal wave. And the feeling would never leave me.

* * *

I had been left in a room all by myself. They had taken Dan with them. And Andrew. Andrew. He had looked at me and he didn't recognize me. He didn't know who I was at all. I leaned against the wall with my arms around my knees. Tears running down my face. It was over. It was all over. The door opened and David came in. I didn't want to speak to him. I didn't think I could take it. I might kill him. I remained silent.

"Andrew Prior will live if you obey every word." David said. I didn't say anything. David took it as agreement.

"Right at this moment Andrew Prior is being taken to one of our experiments in Chicago. He will stay there and as long as you listen he will live." I didn't say anything.

"It's a shame really." David said.

"He was a charming young man." David said. David turned to the door.

"Welcome home Natalie." The door closed behind him and I buried my head into my arms. Sobs taking over my body.

* * *

**And there you have it! Natalie is now with the Bureau of Genetic Welfare and Andrew has been sent to the Chicago experiment. Hope you all liked that! Please comment and review I really appreciate all your feedback:) Till next chapter!**

**~Wallflower95**


	12. Going Undercover

**Hey guys!:) Hope that last chapter was intense enough for you. My heart was literally racing when I wrote it. You guys seeing everything fall into place yet?;) So there's a bit of a time jump. There are going to only be two time jumps in the story so it won't be to confusing. Hope you like it! Oh and if you're a Canadian I hope you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving!:)**

**~Wallflower95**

* * *

**12**

**Going Undercover**

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

I kept my feet steady on the ground I pressed the rigger of the gun. Hitting the middle of the target every time. My posture was stiff and straight. My muscles were sore from the position I was in but I ignored the pain. Like I've always done. When my gun was empty I placed the gun on the table and took my ear protection off my head. I sighed and closed my eyes. I've been in the Bureau for two years now. Not a day goes by that I don't think about that boy. The boy with hope in his eyes. Andrew Prior. His name haunted me every night. Every night I saw his blue eyes. Looking at me and not knowing who I was. I was haunted by him. His eyes. Our kiss.

I shook myself out of the memory and put the gun back in it's holder. I marched out of the room.

I've learned to do things. Things that I am not proud of. I learned to fight. I learned to retrieve information. I've learned to withstand pain. I've learned to kill. I am no longer the fourteen year old girl the found in the Fringe. I am someone else.

* * *

_Two weeks after Andrew had been taken away, they had given me a room and clothes. Training soon began. I didn't know what it was for and I didn't care. I would do anything to forget about my pain. But no matter how hard I trained. How hard I fought the nightmares would never end. I had just finished four hours of training on my own when Dan found me._

_"You've got to stop fighting Nat." He said. Dan had learned to fit right in easily. He was one of them. I punched the bag as hard as I could._

_"You can't tell me what to do." _

_"I'm just saying. This is who we are now." _

_"No! I am not one of you. I will never be them." I said. Dan sighed. I hadn't talked to him since Andrew was taken. I haven't forgiven him for willingly joining David and his sick little game._

_"Look, I might have something that'll take you mind off of it." Dan said. I followed Dan and a few friends he had made through a maze of hallways. We eventually ended up in a blue lit room. There were stations with chairs in them. Kind of like the experiment room. I backed up, ready to run. Dan put a hand on my arm._

_"Relax. We're getting tattoos." I looked around on the walls were glass panes with sketches on them. I looked at different ones. Dan chose one with flames. One of Dan's friends looked at me._

_"Too afraid to get one girlie?" I glared at him and chose a pane on the wall._

_"I'll get this one." He looked at me without another word. It was a large sketch of a swallow. A bird. It's wings were spread out in flight. I took it to one of the tattoo artists. I practically shoved it in her face._

_"I'll get this on my back." She took it without another word and the process began. It didn't take too long and there wasn't any pain. When the artist was done I stretched my stiff muscles. I looked at the reflection of my back. The bottom of the bird went down to my lower back. It's head was at the nape of my neck and the wings were stretched across my shoulders. It was a dark image against my skin but I liked it._

_"You know what the swallow represents?" The tattoo artist asked me._

_"What?"_

_"Freedom." She said. I looked back at my reflection and smiled. One day, I would be free._

* * *

"Natalie!" Someone ran down the hall towards me. I froze but it was only Vada. A girl who had come here from the Fringe with me.

"David wants everyone in the meeting room. Says it's important." I followed Vada too the meeting room. For the past two years David has been training me. I've learned everything there is to know about the genetically pure and the damaged. Our purpose to to find the genetically pure and to salvage everything we can. I've learned that the Bureau has been running different experiments in different cities. I learned that the Milwaukee, my hometown was an experiment that had failed and had to be terminated. The Fringe was another experiment gone wrong. Everyone was gathered in the meeting room. David sat at the table with his hands together. When he stood up everyone fell silent.

"Welcome everyone." He said.

"As we know, one of our most promising experiments in Chicago has gone through some... minor setbacks." He said.

"Let me explain." He said. He waved his hand and a hologram of Chicago appeared on the table. Two years ago we saw the city of Chicago thrive under their ways. They separated themselves into five groups. Erudite, Candor, Abnegation, Amity and Dauntless."

"Two months ago the Erudites decided to take control and the began hunting down Divergents. Or as we know them, the genetically pure."

"Erudites want control. They want everyone to obey and follow orders and they will get what they want. Unless we stop them." David said.

"My suggestion is we send someone into the Chicago experiment. Put them in one of the factions as a cover up. Then get this person infiltrate Erudite by joining that faction. Preferably we'd want to send a younger person." David said. No hands shot up. My mind was racing. Chicago experiment. That's where they sent Andrew. Andrew was there in Chicago. And the Erudites were hunting down and killing people like me. Without a second thought I raised my hand.

"I will go." I said. Everyone's head turned towards me. David looked at me. It might have been my imagination, he looked angry for a moment. Just a moment but then he smiled.

"Perfect."

I swallowed nervously and put my arm down by my side. I might have just volunteered to go too my death but I didn't care someone had to stop the madness in Chicago. And it was my only way to find Andrew again.

* * *

**That's all for now! Will try and update later this week. Happy Thanksgiving fellow canadians!:)**

**~Wallflower95**


	13. A New Life

**Hey guys! Thank you all for your incredible support:) I hope you are liking the story so far. So we left off last chapter with Natalie volunteering to go into the Chicago experiment. One of the things I was really looking forward to writing in this story was Natalie's training with the Dauntless. Of course she won't be in their initiation because we all know she choose Abnegation later on (instead of going to Erudite like she was supposed to). But in order to fit in at Dauntless Natalie will definitely have to do some things. Things that only a Dauntless would do. I'm pretty excited to write her time spent in Dauntless and I hope you all like it!:)**

**Enjoy the chapter,**

**~Wallflower95**

* * *

**13**

**A New Life**

I was in the room the Bureau had given me two years ago. I looked around, seeing my old life. I packed my things into a bag they had given me. There wasn't much to put into the bag. I had to head to the lab for a debriefing with David and his assistant. There was a knock at the door. It was Dan.

"I'm supposed to escort you to David." He said.

"Why do I need an escort? It's not like I'm going to escape." I said.

"It's David's command." Dan said.

"Oh that's right. Your his lackey." I said. Dan's jaw tightened.

"Watch what you say Natalie. I've only been nice to you because of what we've been through together." Dan said. I looked at him and smiled.

"You haven't been through the hell I've gone through." I said softly.

"When will you get over Andrew?" Dan asked. I gritted my teeth and threw the last of my clothing into my bag.

"He was useless anyway. I'm surprised David didn't kill him." I glared at Dan.

"Go too hell." I said. Dan blocked my way out.

"Careful Wright." He said.

"Get out of my way." I said.

"Not until you apologize." He said. I grabbed his arm and kneed him in the stomach. He groaned and fell to the ground clutching at his abdomen.

"Sorry." I said, not even meaning it. I walked out of the room leaving Dan behind.

* * *

"Ahh there you are Natalie." David said with a smile on his face. He frowned.

"Where is Dan?" I smiled.

"He's a little busy." David nodded.

"I see." He then turned around.

"You will go into Dauntless as Natalie Wright. In order to keep your cover hidden we must reset some of the Dauntless leaders memories." I stopped in my tracks.

"You can't do that." I said. David turned to me."

"They have already agreed to reset their memories for the success of the mission." David said. I shivered. To give up your memories willingly for something so small was wrong. I followed David.

"To get used to their ways in the Dauntless faction we will say you are fifteen. At the choosing ceremony next year you will choose Erudite. You go inside and stop them from killing Divergents."

"Why Dauntless?" I asked. According to conversations, Dauntless was the brave faction. The warrior faction in the Chicago experiment.

"Because of you tattoos." David said without looking back. I thought of the sparrow tattoo on my back and I closed my mouth.

"Take this." David said, handing me a device.

"What is it?" I asked. I touched the screen and it lit up.

"Your communication device. You'll keep in touch with us through that." David said. I nodded.

"Keep us updated weekly. If you can." David said. I sensed a change. David's expression was... worried. I frowned. I don't trust David and I never will but it would help my case if he thought I did trust him. I smiled at him.

"I will be fine." David put both his hands on my shoulders. My first reaction would have been to tense up and back away from his touch but if I wanted him to trust me to send me on this mission he had to believe I was with him.

"You be careful out there Natalie." He said. I nodded.

"I will."

"Remember your training." He said. I nodded. He pulled me in and held me tight. My body tensed. _No. He has to believe I trust him._ I relaxed my body and hugged him with one arm. It made me sick doing it but it was an act. That's all it was.

"Good luck Natalie."

* * *

I looked at David's figure growing smaller and smaller. He held up his hand, his face reflected sadness and regret but I didn't care. I breathed soft sigh of relief. I was out of there and now I had to complete my mission. I have to find Andrew.

We drove for about an hour. The sun stared to set. Ahead of us was a dry open field. In the distance I saw something large but I couldn't make it out. I pointed to it.

"What is that?" I asked the driver. He chuckled.

"You'll see." He said. I saw that it was a gate that stretched out and around the city of Chicago. It was tall and menacing. It was a prison. A prison for experimentation. I shivered. This would be my new home.

"Why the fence?" I asked.

"To keep them in." Those people inside were like animals in a cage. It was sickening. We parked just a few feet away from the fence and we got out of the car. We saw a young man approach. He was dress in all black and he had a large gun in his hands.

"Can I help you?" He asked with a confused expression on his face.

"Yeah. You can." Said the driver. He pulled a gun and shot the man. I gasped.

"Why did you do that?!"

"He knew we came from outside." The driver said.

"You didn't have to kill him." I snapped. The driver looked at me.

"Sometimes violence is the only answer." He said. I didn't say another word. We entered the city through a large door and we drove through without any complications. We finally reached a building. By then the sun was set in the sky. I got out of the car. The driver shoved my bag into my arms.

"No one in there knows who you are. You start from scratch. Get used to their way of life. Keep your head down. Don't cause trouble. Stay in touch with the Bureau. Remember, you're supposed to be fifteen." He said to me. I nodded.

"Good luck kid." He said. He got back into the car and drove away. I turned to the building, searching for an entrance. Once I found it I entered. There was a red light that illuminated the stairway. I walked down slowly, making sure I didn't trip. It was dark and I realized I didn't study the map of Dauntless that David had given me so I had no idea where I was going. I rounded a corner and was immediately knocked to the ground. I groaned.

"Damn watch where you're going!" Someone groaned. It was a female's voice.

"Sorry." I muttered. I saw a girl. Probably fifteen. She had fair skin, dark black hair and mesmerizing green eyes. She stood up and offered me her hand. She frowned.

"You look new." She said.

"I'm not. I've just been keeping my head down." I said. She pursed her lips and nodded.

"Okay then. What's your name?" She asked.

"Natalie. Natalie Wright." I said. She nodded.

"I'm Thea." She said. I shook her hand.

"Where are you heading?" She asked.

"To a new set of rooms. They moved me." I made up.

"Well I know for a fact that there are some extra beds in our room so you can come with me." I followed Thea. We entered a long room with rows of beds running down. I put my bag onto a made bed.

"Make yourself at home." Thea said. She left the room and I sat there alone. Dauntless is the faction of the brave, the warriors, the free people. I smiled. I'd fit right in.

* * *

**Comment and review guys! see ya next chapter:)**

**~Wallflower95**


	14. Dare

**Hey guys:) hope you all enjoy this one. It's not a long one unfortunately because i thought this was a good scene to do on it's own. don't worry. I'll try and update this weekend or sometime after the weekend.**

**happy reading!**

**~Wallflower95**

* * *

**14**

**Dare**

I felt someone shaking my shoulder.

"Hey, Natalie." Someone whispered. I groaned and tried to swat the person

"Natalie." Someone said in a sing song voice.

"Wake up!" I gasped and sat up straight. A group of people holding small lights stood around my bed. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the lighting. There were three girls including Thea and four boy. They were all smiling at me. I realized is a think t-shirt and baggy pants underneath my blanket. I pulled up my blanket to my chest.

"Oh relax we're not here to rape you or anything." Thea said.

"Then what do you want?" It's been a week since I've arrived at the Dauntless compound. I've gotten used to their schedule and kept my head down. This was the first time Dauntless member approached me. Thea smiled at me.

"Want to play Dare?"

* * *

Thea told me Dare was a favorite Dauntless. How it's played is quite simple. Someone dares somebody else to do something. The person who was dared takes a swig of alcohol and then performs the Dare. Harmless... right? It was late at night. The rest of the compound was asleep. I soon learned everyone else's names. A small but tough looking girl with red hair and bright green eyes was named Corinne. Two twin blonde haired girls were Sage and Mara.

One boy with black hair and grey eyes was Nate. They boy with brown hair and blue eyes was Finn. The small boy who looked at least thirteen Rhys and the last boy, tall and muscular was Kai.

"Alright, let's get this party started." Thea said with a wide grin on her face. We were in the Pit. One of the most occupied rooms in all of Dauntless. At night the Pit looked dark and foreboding.

"Okay let's see. I dare..." Thea smiled.

"I dare Corinne to make out with Kai." Corinne laughed and Kai shrugged his shoulders and took a swig of the alcohol.

"Fine with me." Kai said. Kai reached for Corinne's neck and pulled her in for a long kiss. He reached under her shirt. Corinne wrapped her legs around Kai's body and then they broke apart.

"Satisfied?" Kai asked.

"Very." Thea said.

"Okay might turn."

"I dare Nate to run naked through the Erudite compound." Everyone laughed. Nate reached for the alcohol and downed some.

"Let's go traumatize some Erudites." He said. It was a bit of a walk to the Erudite compound. The whole time everyone was snickering and giggling. I swear we were going to get caught for trespassing.

"Here we go." Nate stripped down right in front of everyone, I looked the other was.

"One more for good luck." Nate took another swig of the alcohol and then ran towards the Erudite compound, completely naked. We all followed. The Erudite building was glass so we could see everything. There were some Erudites still up at their computers doing research or something. With his arms up above his head, Nate ran past them screaming his head.

"Good evening smart people! Would you like nude test subject. He yelled. A few Erudite women started screaming and jumped onto the tables. I saw one woman faint. Everyone rolled around laughing their heads off. Nate jumped onto the table and started swaying his hips around.

"You feeling lucky tonight ladies?!" I couldn't help it. I laughed along with the others. Nate returned and put his clothes back on.

"Alright ladies and gents." Nate said.

"I dare Thea here to stand on the train tracks until the train come and at the last second jump out of the way before it hits you." Thea grabbed the alcohol and took a swig.

"Finally. A challenge." She said. The group of us followed Thea to the train tracks. In the distance you could hear the train coming towards us. The set here feet into the ground. Her should facing to where the train would be. I could see the light of the train coming towards us. Everyone started whispering and snickering about Thea's dare. The tracks started to shake. Thea's jaw set and she stared forwards. The train grew closer and closer. It soon felt like an earthquake. The train approached and it grew louder and louder. It came fast and it was soon upon Thea. Just when I thought it would hit her at the last second Thea threw herself to the other side. Everyone gasped. Once the train was gone we saw Thea on the other side of the tracks unharmed. She laughed out loud.

"Alright I've got a good one."

"I dare Natalie to go zip lining." Everyone turned to me. They probably didn't think I could do it. I took a swig of the alcohol that burned my throat and I smiled.

"Where do I start?"

* * *

The others lead me to the Hancock building. Zip lining is yet another activity the Dauntless enjoy. I'm not afraid of therefore I'd be okay but when I was on top of that building I looked down at the long drop. I backed up a bit and Thea stopped.

"You're not gonna drop out are you?" She asked. I laughed.

"No way." I said. Nate and Kai helped me into the harness and strapped me in.

"Be careful. Sometime Nate doesn't do the straps up right." Corinne said. My head whipped to Nate.

"It was the one time! And he held on to the other part of the harness so he survived." Nate said. I swallowed nervously. The others insisted I had to go head first into the harness because that's what most of the Dauntless do.

"Remember to pull the break at the end." Nate said.

"Okay." I said.

"Ready?" I nodded.

"3.. 2... 1!" I let out a scream as they pushed me forwards. I thought I'd be scared. The buildings whipped past me and the wind made my eyes water. I almost couldn't breathe. But then I looked below and I saw everything. I saw the fence that surrounded Chicago in the distance. I saw a ferris wheel. I put my arms out beside me and I felt as if I was flying. I laughed and closed my eyes feeling the wind rush through my hair. I moved my arm up and down through the wind. I felt free. I felt for moment, that I was a girl with no care in the world. Free. I have never felt so alive.

* * *

**Like mother like daughter huh?;) stay tuned for chapter 15!**

**~Wallflower95**


	15. Fears

**Hey guys!:) Sorry this chapter took some time. i was super busy with work over the weekend:/ and I'm kinda not feeling well right now so yeah:( anyways, hope you all like this one!**

**~Wallflower95**

* * *

**15**

**Fears**

"We believe in ordinary acts of bravery and the courage that drives one person to stand up for another." Thea laughed hysterically and took another swig of alcohol. It's mid day and we were all hanging around the Pit in the Dauntless compound. I laughed along with the others. It's been three weeks since I arrived in Dauntless and I already felt like one of them. But I still had my mission. I've sent three letters to David. Telling what I've found out about the killings.

"So what's this about Erudites killing people?" I asked. Everyone became silent. Thea took another sip of the alcohol.

"What's it to you newbie?" She asked, suddenly sounding angry.

"I've just heard rumors." I said. Kai opened his mouth to say something but Thea silenced him. She looked right at me with cold eyes.

"Well that's what everyone thinks. That those bastards come in here and kill people." She said.

"But how? Why?" I said. Thea shrugged her shoulders.

"No one knows. All I do know is that everyone I love is gone." Thea said. I saw something change in her eyes. The anger disappeared and it was replaced by sadness.

"My parents died a long time ago. I don't remember them. Tom was all I had." She said. Everyone else in the group stayed quiet.

"Two years ago he goes through the fear landscape in his Dauntless initiation. He was at the bottom for everything else but once he got to the mental stage of initiation he got good. Really good."

"One day they come to watch him. They stood their in their smart blue clothes and they saw my brother go through his fear landscape. The next thing I knew he was at the bottom of the Pit. Dead." Thea's fists clenched and her jaw tightened.

"No one believed me but I knew. I knew they had him killed and it has something to do with his fear landscape." Thea said. I looked at the ground.

"I'm sorry about your brother." I said. Thea took another swig from the burning alcohol.

"Don't be. Just be sorry for the people who killed them. They will pay one day."

* * *

_David,_

_I've learned something new. The Erudites have been killing some initiates from Dauntless. Two years ago a boy was nearly failing in his physical stage of Dauntless initiation but when he hit the mental stage he excelled. The Erudites witnessed him going through his fear landscape. The next day the boy was found at the bottom of the pit, dead. I am not sure why the killed them. I think it might have been his ability to pass the fear landscape. Can you make any of this?_

_Natalie_

I sent the letter and sat back onto my bed and sighed. Why would the Erudites kill Tom? What did he do? I thought hard. He was nearly kicked out of initiation due to his lacking skills in the physical stage and then somehow he moved up in mental training. I frowned. A year ago, during training at the Bureau. I remember them saying that the genetically pure could do things that the damaged couldn't. Here, they were referred to as Divergent. I tried to think hard. What else were Divergents capable of?

"Natalie?" I looked up and quickly hid my messaging device under the mattress. Thea stood in the doorway.

"You coming?" I nodded.

"Yeah." I said. I put my boots on and walked out with her.

"You still haven't told me where we're going." I said. Thea smiled.

"You'll see." I sighed and followed Thea out of the room.

"You have got to stop hiding out in that room all the time. Come on! We can go start a fight or something." Thea said. I laughed.

"You always want to start a fight Thea." I said.

"True enough." Thea said.

"Where is everyone?" I said looking around. Usually the Dauntless compound was bustling with initiates for Dauntless training or Instructors getting ready to throw another difficult task in their paths. Thea laughed.

"Well everyone is either at work, training or to busy to pay us any attention." She said.

"Where are we going?" Thea looked at me and smiled.

"The fear landscape."

* * *

Everyone else was laughing and joking around and we marched towards the fear landscape. I've only hear that the fear landscape can produce your worst fears. I stayed quiet as we walked there. You don't enter the fear landscape until your Dauntless initiation. Some people said that their fears were so bad they were a wreck after the fear landscape. I know it's not real. It was all a simulation. They inject you with this serum and going into the fear landscape you feel like you're really there. I just don't want to find out what my fears are but if I back out they would never let me live it down.

"Hey newbie." I looked up. Corinne was sticking a needle into Kai's neck. The serum for the fear landscape.

"This is your test. You get through this and you're one of us." She said with a grin on her face. Her words made me shiver. If I didn't get through this then there was no point in being Dauntless. I let a breath and smiled at her.

"Don't worry about me." I said calmly. And Kai went in. There was a screen that displayed their fears but I couldn't look. It made me imagine what they'd see on the screen when I was in there. After Thea came out she came to me with the syringe.

"You're up." She said. I stood up and she stuck me in the neck with the needle. I flinched. She patted me hard on the back.

"Relax. Breathe. You'll be fine." She shoved me into the chair. I slowed down my breathing and closed my eyes.

When I opened them, I was no longer in Dauntless. I was standing in an empty street. The only sound was the wind blowing.

"Hello?" I called out. The wind answered. I closed my black jacket around me and walked forwards. I didn't recognize anything at all. I looked at the building. They were quiet and derelict looking. I heard a sound. On the stairs of building was a child. I gasped. It was Cara. She looked the same as the day I left. I stepped back. She was wearing her tattered clothes. Her brown eyes scared and wild looking. The same look she had that night. Her light brown hair was tangled.

"Why?" She said. I stepped into something. I turned to see my little brother Mattius behind me. He looked at me with his brown sad eyes.

"Why did you leave us?" He said. My heart was pounding in my chest. Then I saw her. My mother. She stood next to Cara. Her arms around her.

"Why did you leave us?" She asked me. I couldn't breathe. I ran forwards and then I saw more faces. I saw Jedd, Dan, Sherry... Andrew. They all looked at me with sad eyes and each of them held up their hands towards me and said the same thing.

"Why did you leave us Natalie?" I put my hand on my ears but the voices kept going. _This isn't real. This isn't_ _real!_ Then their faces started changing. They all became crows with black eyes and sharp beaks.

"Why did you leave us Natalie?" They all chanted. I put my hands on my ears but the voices kept chanting. _This isn't real._

I ran. I ran as fast as I could away from the voices and I didn't look back. Suddenly I was somewhere else. I was in a dark room. I waited for my eyes to adjust. I soon realized where I was. I tried to move but realized my wrists were in chains.

"Thought you could escape again?" A voice came from the darkness. Ian rose from the shadows. I backed up as he came towards me. I shook my head.

"No." I said. He smiled at me.

"You will never see daylight again you bitch." He reached for me.

"No!" I screamed. The chains binding me snapped and I kicked outwards. Ian went flying into a wall and feel unconscious to the ground. I threw open the door and ran outside. I stopped outside and put my hands on my knees. Taking slow deep breaths. I walked forwards and somehow ended up in a house. I realized it was my house. The house in Milwaukee. I turned and saw my mother with a gun in her hand and she pointing it straight at my father. I suddenly couldn't move.

"Please." My dad said. I didn't recognize the woman any more. She was no longer the woman who raised me and taught me how to cook and make bracelets. Her eyes were black with hatred. My father was on his knees, pleading for his life. And then she pulled the trigger. I couldn't scream. I couldn't move. I just saw my father fall to the ground. Dead. And then my mother turned to me.

"Do it Natalie." She said. My mother was longer holding the gun. I looked down at my hand. I was holding the gun now. My hand started shaking and I stepped back.

"No." I said. She smiled at me.

"Do it. Kill me." She said.

"No!" I screamed.

"Like mother like daughter." She said with a smile." I shook my head._ This isn't real._

"I will never be like you." I took the gun and shot myself in the head.

I gasped. My eyes flew open. I was lying on the street. My parents were gone. I was lying on a street. I sat up and rubbed my head. It looked like the Fringe. I stood up and looked around.

"Hello?" I called out.

"Natalie?" I looked behind me and I almost stopped breathing. Standing five feet away from me was Andrew. He looked the exact same. His smiling blue eyes. His arms were open and I couldn't help it. I ran into his warm embrace.

"I thought I lost you." I said. He rubbed my head.

"You will never lose me." He whispered. I wanted that moment to last forever. There was a gunshot. I felt Andrew flinch. I looked up and I saw the life leave his eyes.

"Andrew!" I screamed. He fell into my arms. A wound in his chest bleeding out.

"No no no! Andrew please!" I screamed. His eyes were still open, staring into the unknown. I brushed his hair back and sobbed into his chest.

"I told you the consequences would unbearable if you crossed me Natalie." I looked up slowly and David stood before me with a gun in his hand. His cold dark eyes staring down at me. He knelt down and put his hand on my face.

"These are the consequences." He whispered. I hit his hand aside.

"I will never work with you. You're an insane bastard." I snapped. He pointed the gun at me.

"Too bad. You were... unique." I stared right at him as he pulled the trigger. _This isn't real._

* * *

I woke up from the simulation gasping for breath. My heart was pounding and my hands were shaking. I realized there were shocked expressions around the room. All of my friends were staring at me. Thea stepped forwards.

"Do you know how long you were in there Natalie?" I shook my head.

"Four minutes." She said. I stared at my hands.

"I don't that's ever been done in Dauntless history. I also don't think anyone has ever had four fears. Usually people have up to eight or more." Thea said.

"How did you do that?" She asked.

"I don't know."

* * *

**Okay. So here's a breakdown of Natalie's fears!**

**#1 Regret. Natalie's regrets al lot of things in her life but the thing she regrets most was leaving her family behind, not being able to save Dan, Sherry, Jedd and Andrew.**

**#2 Being used. During her time in the Fringe Natalie was sold to Ian who used her body.**

**#3 Becoming her mom. Before leaving Milwaukee Natalie witnessed her mother kill her father. Natalie doesn't want to be a killer and she certainly doesn't want to turn out like her mom.**

**#4 Losing Andrew. Natalie know that if she doesn't do exactly what David tells her to do she will lose Andrew forever.**

**I had a lot of fun writing the fear landscape and I spent quite some time figuring out what her fears would be. I hope you like what I chose! Please comment and review. Oh and a quick shout out to Butterknifebitch (I know you commented on Anna's Infinity but I thought I'd reply quickly:) Again I just want to thank you for all your feedback on Anna's Infinity. Trust me I was in the same situation you were in. I commented on something with some constructive feedback and the author completely lost it with me. I wasn't rude or anything I was just providing some feedback. When I decided to write fanfiction I told myself I wouldn't be like that. That I would take all the reviewers feedback and use it to make my stories better. So thank you so much again for your feedback.**

**Please comment and review guys! All your feedback is appreciated:)**

**~Wallflower95**


	16. Lost & Found

**Hey guys! Sorry this chapter took so long! It was another super busy week. It's also Halloween here in Canada so I hope you guys have an awesome and spooky Halloween night:) enjoy the chapter and remember to review and comment.**

**~Wallflower95**

* * *

**16**

**Lost & Found**

_Natalie,_

_It is my wish that you infiltrate Erudite. We have intel that they are planning something. A new plot to take down Divergents. Your job is to get in and out without being seen. Find out what you can._

_David_

I took a deep breath and put the message tablet under my mattress. I had been exhausted after the fear landscape but I knew it was my job to get into Erudite tonight. Everyone else in the room fell asleep fast. I waited until I heard even breathing and some snoring and then I slipped into my boots. I was wearing all black. I took a deep breath and walked out of the room. My eyes adjusted to the dark as I went through the dark and empty hallway. I climbed up the stairs and opened the door that led outside. I breathed in the cold night air. For a moment I just wanted to stand their and breath it in. The cold air that promised to satisfy my lungs. But I knew I had a mission. I closed my jacket and ran for the tracks. I saw the distant light of the train. I stood on my toes, bouncing up and down as the train approached. The train tracks rattled as the train came by. I jumped for the bar and swung myself into the compartment. I stared at the city as I went by.

It looked so much different at night then it it did during the day. During the day Chicago is bursting with life and activity but at night it was dark and mysterious. Full of lies and secrets. I saw the Erudite compound coming up. I stood up and jumped out of the train. I tucked my knees in and I rolled out into a standing position. I looked around to make sure I hadn't been followed. After confirming there was no one behind me I started towards the Erudite compound. The building was tall and wide and made of glass. Thea said it was that big because that's where they held all their secrets. I walked up to the doors and prayed they'd open. They did. The glass doors slid to the side. An Erudite boy was at the front desk. He looked quite young to be security. He stood up and nearly fell.

"Can I help you?" He asked. I sensed some shaking in his voice. I smiled at him.

"Yes. You can." I sprayed him in the face with a special canister courtesy of the Bureau and he fell unconscious. I grabbed him before he hit the ground. I made sure no one was watching and then I dragged the boy behind the desk and started taking off his clothes. Luckily we were about the same size. I shoved my clothes behind the desk along with the unconscious boy. He'd be out for at least an hour. I adjusted the blue Erudite jacket and then I headed upstairs. There bookshelves after bookshelves. The granite floors sparkled in the lighting. There were a few people at some tables with their noses in their books. I kept my eyes forwards and walked past them. They never looked up. Once I was past the last bookshelf I went downstairs. Downstairs I found a lap area. There were a bunch of doctors wearing big glasses and white coats. I watched as they looked and compared completely different vials with odd looking liquids in them.

I slowed down my walk and glanced through the glass. I saw a group of Erudites surrounding a man. The man was unconscious and strapped to a chair. He had these wires attached to his head and there was a monitor next to him. An Erudite woman injected something through a tube. Ten second later the man starts convulsing. The worst thing was that they did nothing about it. The Erudites surrounding the man just stood there and watched until the monitor next to the man went blank and the man stopped moving. I gasped and back up a bit.

"Watch it!" Someone said. I hit someone and books and papers fell to the ground. I turned around.

"I'm sorry." I said. I bent down to help the boy pick up his papers. I looked up and handed him one and then I gasped. I almost fell backwards. Who knew it would be so simple to find him. I breathed out.

"Andrew."

* * *

Andrew frowned at me and continued to grab his papers and books that had fallen to the ground. He looked at me but I was still staring at him in shock.

"How do you know me?" He asked. My heart sank in my chest. _He doesn't remember me. _I handed him some more papers.

"I have heard your name going around here in Erudite." I said._ Please remember me. Why can't you remember?_ I couldn't bear the way he was looking at me. As if I was someone else. As if I was a stranger. He just looked right through me. He nodded.

"Guess it's spreading." Andrew said with a smile.

"What's spreading?" I asked.

"Me helping the senior workers out the top secret stuff." Andrew said with a sly smile.

"Do you mean Divergent stuff?" I asked. Andrew looked around nervously.

"You can't say stuff like that out loud." He said. I nodded.

"Sorry, bad habit." I said. We both stood up. He had a fairly large pile of books and papers in his hand. I took some.

"Let me help you with that." I said. He looked at me gratefully and we both walked down the hallway. We passed several rooms with Erudites in them. Each room had someone strapped to a chair unconscious.

"What are they doing to them?" I asked.

"They're Divergents. We're trying to figure out how they function."

"And what happens after you figure that out?" I asked. He just looked at me with no reply. It wasn't hard to figure out. I shivered. David said that the Erudites were killing Divergents. I just didn't want to believe it.

"What is your thought on all of this?" I asked. Andrew's walk slowed down and he turned towards me.

"Why do you want to know?" He asked. He glared at me.

"Are you spying on me? Try to get me to confess? Jeanine has to do better than that." Andrew said. I backed up.

"No I'm not a spy. I'm just curious." Andrew relaxed.

"I don't agree with any of it." Andrew whispered. I nodded.

"So why not leave?" I asked. Andrew looked at me.

"I am." He whispered. We heard footsteps coming down the hall. Andrew snatched the remaining papers from my arms and walked away without another word.

* * *

**Sorry this chapter was so short. More to come soon! Comment and review please:)**

**~Wallflower95**


	17. Secrets

**Hey guys!:) Sorry about the wait you guys! been another crazy week. So I know that in Divergent it was said that Four had the lowest amount of fears but please remember Natalie is not in her Dauntless initiation nor will she ever be (because she's going to choose abnegation) so her low amount of fears is never mentioned in the future or in Dauntless history. That's why I decided that Natalie would have four fears. It all works out really well:)**

**hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**~Wallflower95**

* * *

**17**

**Secrets**

As Andrew disappeared around the corner, three Erudite people came around the other corner. I ducked into a room and peeked through the crack. There was two men, old looking both wearing blue suits. Following them was a young woman with curly blonde hair and water grey eyes. She looked almost my age, maybe even a few years older. She wore a blue outfit. She had intent in her eyes as she scribble notes down into her notepad.

"Jeanine where is that room again?" One man asked.

"Down the hall to your right. It's one of our most promising serum tests yet." She said with clear enthusiasm. I shivered at her words. Once they disappeared down the hall I came out of the room and followed them. When I rounded the corner I saw one of the men place his hand onto pad that scanned his hand. I knew I would be able to enter the room after the door closed. I took a deep breath and at the last moment when the door was about to close I ran to it and slipped my hand into the crack. I slipped inside and immediately took cover behind some boxes.

The room was dark except for a single light hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room. In the middle was a chair and strapped to the chair was a young boy. His eyes were rolled up in his head so you could see the whites of his eyes. The men and the girl, Jeanine, stood around the boy.

"Well, what are the results?" One of the men demanded. Jeanine walked over to a table that had a computer on it. She typed in a few things and suddenly the boy was awake. He sat up and stood on the ground. The men marveled his rise.

"You have complete control?"

"Yes sir." Jeanine said.

"Incredible." One man said.

"And yet it still does not work on the Divergents?"

"No sir. It seems that their brains are... hardwired in a different way from others. They cannot be controlled." She said.

"Very well. If they cannot be controlled then they cannot fit into our society."

"They must be hunted down and be terminated at all costs." Jeanine nodded and scribbled some more notes down.

"It will be done." I stepped back and hit a box. It was slow motion. I saw the box falling and I threw my arms out to catch it but I new I would be to late. The crash seemed to echo around the whole room. All heads turned to wear I was hiding.

"What was that?" Jeanine typed something into the computer and the boy from the chair moved towards me. I threw the blue hood over my head and I bolted for the door. The boy was fast and strong. I shut the door behind me but as soon as it closed the boy wrenched it off it's hinges. I ran down the hallway and I didn't look back. I could hear the footsteps right behind me. I took another turn and ran through a hallway with confused Erudite people looking at me. I took a look behind me and he was still there. I rounded a corner and felt someone grab my jacket. I was wrenched backwards and thrown onto the ground. Before I could even get up someone pushed me back down and shoved their foot into my abdomen. The hood hid my face from their view. The two men and Jeanine finally caught up.

"A spy?" Jeanine questioned. I struggled under the boy's weight but it was no use.

"Let's see who it then." One of the men said. The boy bent down and put his hand at the edge of my hood. My heart was pounding in my ears. David's words were ringing in my head. Remembering the conversation we had before I got in the car.

_"If you are captured we cannot risk coming in. You will be on your own Natalie."_

His words echoed in my head. I swallowed the lump that was rising in my throat realizing that I truly was alone here. There was no escaping this. I am trapped. That's when the lights in the hallway went out.

* * *

People started screaming and I heard several footsteps running. The pressure from the boy's foot on me lift. I twisted my body and kicked outwards. Someone grunted and fell to the ground. The emergency back up lights came on and I was off. I knew I wouldn't get far before they came after me again. I was searching for a room to hide in when some covered my mouth and pulled me backwards. I was about to flip the person restraining me when I heard the voice.

"Relax. I'm trying to help." Andrew released me and pulled me into a room I hadn't seen. He put his finger against his mouth and we pressed ourselves against the door. People walked by.

"She couldn't have gone far." Someone said. A moment of silence.

"Search the rooms." My body stiffened. Andrew shoved me behind the door just as someone knocked on the door. Andrew flipped on the light and opened the door.

"Hello Jeanine."

"Hello Andrew. We have had a break in. Have you seen anyone suspicious?"

"No I have not but if I see anything out of place I will be sure to contact you directly." Andrew said calmly.

"Thank you Prior." Andrew closed the door and we both let out a sigh of relief.

"I suppose you saw what they were doing in there." I nodded. He stayed quiet. I slid down the wall and sat on the ground with my head in my hands. He joined me on the ground.

"It's sickening." He said.

"Why did you help me?" I asked. He struggled to find words.

"Perhaps I wanted to be selfless. To stand up for another. To be brave."

_Be brave Natalie._

I saw the Andrew I once knew. His kind blue eyes. His smile.

_Be brave._

Those words echoed in my head. But Andrew was gone. He was taken. Now he was here in front of me and he didn't even know my name. I wanted to shake him. I wanted to slap him. To wake him up from this nightmare. But it wouldn't work. Nothing would. He didn't remember. I leaned my head against the wall.

"Well, thanks." I said. I wanted so badly to hug him tight. To take his hand. To kiss his lips.

"Your welcome." He said.

"Who are you? Why are you here in Erudite?" He asked. I flinched at his words.

_Who are you?_

"I'm Natalie." I said.

"Why are you here?" He asked. I bit my lip. I was afraid if I told him he'd betray me in some way. He held up one hand.

"I promise I won't tell. Remember, I just saved your life." He said. I sighed.

"I'm... I'm here to learn some things. I need to know what the Erudites are up to." I said. Andrew nodded.

"We are capable of a lot. We absorb so much information in a small amount of time and every new fact we learn interests us but we can never stop and appreciate the moment." Andrew said as he stared of into space.

"You sound as if you know too much." I said. Andrew looked at me.

"Yes. Yes I do."

* * *

Once the area was clear Andrew walked me out of the Erudite compound. Hi hand rested on my arm as we exited the building. No one looked at us. They were either busy reading their books or had their eyes on a computer screen. Andrew took me all the way to where the train would come. I saw the train in the distance.

"You don't sound like you're one of them." I said to him.

"I'm not." He said.

"Why?" He sighed.

"I've never felt like one of them. I feel as if I was thrown in there." He struggled to get words out.

"It's hard to explain." He said. I nodded.

"I know what you mean." I said. Andrew looked me up and down.

"Can I trust you Natalie?" He asked. I smiled.

"You'll never know until you try." I said. He leaned forwards and whispered.

"One day this will all be over. The fighting and the killing. One day we will all be free." He said. When he said those words new confidence washed over me. It made me believe that one day we'd live in a better world.

"You are very optimistic." I said.

"Some one has to have hope." He said. The train came by.

"That's my ride." I waved goodbye and ran up beside the train. I jumped into one of the open cars.

"I'm Andrew by the way!" He called out as I passed by. I smiled at him.

"I know!" I called. He frowned but all I could do was smile. Maybe, just maybe there was a chance that Andrew was still in there.

* * *

**Please comment and review! more to come soon:)**

**Thanks!**

**~Wallflower95**


	18. Just A Game

**Hey everyone! Have you all seen the Insurgent teaser trailer? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comment. Hope you like the chapter. Please comment and review!**

**~Wallflower95**

* * *

**18**

**Just A Game**

_The Erudite plot to control people. I don't know why. They injected a test subject with a serum that makes them stronger and faster. They still hunt down the Divergent. I believe with the serum they created they were hoping to control the Divergent but it was unsuccessful. I will figure out why they created the serum once I am inside. More to come soon._

_-N_

I clicked the device off and slipped it under my mattress. It's been three days since I was in Erudite. Three days since I saw Andrew. I have two months until the choosing ceremony. Two months until I go into Erudite. I shuddered at the thought. After what I saw in there. After what I saw they are capable of... I couldn't stand the thought of becoming one of them. But I couldn't back out. I had to stop them from killing people like me. Its what I was sent in here to do. I shook my head to get rid of the feeling of guilt. I still have two months. I stood up and walked towards the doorway when someone appeared from the darkness. I froze. Every place has a terrible person. Neil was one of them. He thinks he's the top guy in Dauntless. Same age as me. Tall, dark hair and black eyes. He smiled at me but the smile wasn't friendly at all. It was menacing._  
_

"Hi there pansycake." _What the hell is a pansycake?_

"If you're going for the bad guy act try not to use words like pansycake." Some of Neil's friends snorted behind him but Neil glared at me. Next thing I knew he had me pinned to the wall, his arm against my throat. I tried kicking him but Neil didn't even flinch.

"Don't be a smart ass girl." He hissed. I gritted my teeth and focused on breathing. Neil moved his head and one of his friends threw Thea next to him. Thea glared at him. Neil smiled.

"Let's see how well these little girls can do in our test."

* * *

Neil shoved gun into our arms. The train shook on the tracks.

"What are they going to do with us?" I whispered. Thea was glaring at them.

"I've heard about this. They get people like us who are about to go into initiation to come out here for a little test. My guess is that we have to fight them." Thea whispered. I looked down at the gun in my arms. I've used them at the Bureau. I know how to shoot. I don't know how to kill.

"Relax. They're stun guns. They cause the pain of a real gunshot wound but they don't actually kill."

"Are you sure that's the way they're loaded?" Thea didn't answer.

"This is it." Neil said. We all jumped out of the moving train. I recognized the place. The ferris wheel. I saw when I was zip lining. Someone shoved me from behind.

"Alright, the game is simple." Neil said. He turned towards us.

"Get our flag before we get yours." Thea snorted.

"Seriously? That's what you kidnapped us for? A game of capture the flag?" Thea left.

"Wait until I tell the others." Neil stood before her, looking down at her.

"I suggest you keep your mouth shut and play the game." She nodded.

"But you guys have three on your team. How is that fair?" I said. He looked at me.

"Oh it's fair alright." He said. He shoved a flag into my arms and walked away.

"Well he's rude." Thea said. I sighed.

"Let's just get this over with." Thea suggested we hide our flag somewhere low on the ground. Everyone always assumes it'll be higher up she said. We hid it in between some crates. Once our flag was hidden the game was on.

"Remember Natalie." Thea said as she slung her gun over her body. I looked at her. She smiled.

"It's just a game." She said. I nodded and tried to smile back.

"Just a game." I said.

"Okay. You find the flag and I'll cover you." Thea said. I nodded. We both ran out. There were shouts. Shots were fired but I kept running with my gun in front of me. I looked up and down and then I finally spotted it. It was a glowing yellow flag on the ferris wheel.

"I see it!" Thea fired. A body fell to the ground a few feet away, groaning in pain.

"Go go go go!" She shouted and pushed me forwards. Someone shot at us and I fired back. The person dodged and hid behind some crates.

"Keep going Natalie!" Thea said as she fired back at the person. I ran towards the ferris wheel. There was a ladder that would lead us right to their flag.

"Climb!" Thea screamed. I started climbing with my gun hanging at the side. Thea was right behind me shooting at them. I was so close to the flag. I reached for it and grabbed it.

"Got it!" I yelled triumphantly. I heard a grunt. I looked behind me. Thea had been hit by the stun gun. I saw her look at me. I saw the pun it induced. I saw her hands let go of the bar. I reached for her.

"Thea!" I screamed. My hand stretched for her as she slowly fell backwards. Time slowed down. Her mouth opened into a scream. I thought I could do it. Everything was going to be okay. I would save her. But she fell faster then I could catch her. When her body hit the ground there was a sickening crunch. I couldn't scream.

"Thea?" I called. But there was no reply. I climbed down the ladder with the flag tucked in my pants pocket. No one shot at me which meant we won the game. I landed on the ground and walked towards her.

"Thea?" I knelt beside her body. Her dark hair was sprawled on the ground, when I touched it it was soaked with blood. I rolled her towards me. Her eyes were closed and her skin was pale. I shook her.

"Thea wake up." I said. Her eyes didn't even open. I really thought she was playing a trick on me. Any second she was going to jump up and laugh at me for believing her.

"Dammit Thea wake up." I said, shaking her harder.

But what if this wasn't a joke. What if she was gone for good?

* * *

**Is Thea gone? Find out in the next chapter! This chapter title was named after the song 'Just a Game' by Birdy on The Hunger Games soundtrack:) listen to Birdy's songs! She's an amazing singer:)**

**Thanks for reading,**

**~Wallflower95**


End file.
